Letters

Informed consent in medical research

Doctors are arrogant to think they need to debate issue of patient consent

Editor–The editorial by Richard Smith raised the issue of publishing studies in which the researchers did not seek patients' consent.¹ Firstly, I would think that of all the professions, only in medicine would there be any sort of debate about whether people need to be told that they, their bodies, their body fluids, their emotions, or whatever were to be subjects of research. This is arrogance on the part of doctors. Has anyone thought of asking these "patients" what their opinions are?

Secondly, I also think that doctors in developing countries need to be especially careful about obtaining consent from patients for anything, not only research. I would like to know that when I read a paper from a developing country in the BMJ, I can be sure that the individuals on whom the research was . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Boter, H., van Delden, J. J M, de Haan, R. J, Rinkel, G. J E (2003). Modified informed consent procedure: consent to postponed information. BMJ 327: 284-285 [Full text]  
• Doyal, L., Tobias, J S, Warnock, M., Power, L., Goodare, H. (1998). Ethical debate: Informed consent in medical research • Informed consent---a response to recent correspondence • Changing the BMJ's position on informed consent would be counterproductive • Informed consent---a publisher's duty • Trial subjects must be fully involved in design and approval of trials • Studies that do not have informed consent from participants should not be published. BMJ 316: 1000-1005 [Full text]  
• Barker, E M (1998). Informed consent in medical research: the ethics committee's view. BMJ 316: 392b-392 [Full text]  
• Pfeffer, N., Alderson, P., Campbell, H., Boyd, K. M, Surry, S. A M, Cullinan, T., Squire, S B, Hawley, R, Macfarlane, S, Agbaje, S, Beeching, N J, Wyatt, G B, Koning, K D., Gray, N, Hayward, C, Ali, A, Bianco, A E, Taylor, M, Brabin, B, Coulter, J B S, Daly, M d. B., Elbourne, D., Snowdon, C., Garcia, J., Epstein, K., Sloat, B., Mohanna, K., Woodcock, T., Norman, J., Sikorski, J., Watson, R., Wilson, P., House, A., Knapp, P., Williamson, C., Sutton, G. C, Garvican, L., Wilson, R., Malin, A., Lockwood, D., Mhlongo, S W P, Mdingi, G V, Ashcroft, R., Toth, B., Mant, J., Winner, S., Carter, J., Wade, D. T, Stott, D J, Langhorne, P, Rodgers, H, Rutter, D., Brewin, T., Barer, D. (1997). Informed consent. BMJ 315: 247-247 [Full text]