Ethical dilemma
BMJ 2009; 339 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b5074 (Published 08 December 2009) Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b5074
- Nitha Naqvi, paediatric cardiology specialist registrar, Royal Brompton Hospital, London,
- Piers E F Daubeney, paediatric cardiology consultant, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, reader in paediatric cardiology, Imperial College London
- n.naqvi{at}rbht.nhs.uk
For 11 years the registered charity the Children’s Heart Federation has taken a group of children with congenital heart disease to Lapland at Christmas. We drafted a proposal to study these children, which we submitted to the local ethics committee for approval.
The methods included a plan to escort a group of children to Lapland to visit an obese, hirsute, elderly white male dressed in a red costume. We sought permission to collude with this man in deceiving young children that he would visit them on Christmas Eve, arriving in a flying sleigh drawn by reindeer, one with a red nose.
At first glance this proposal seems to contravene the ethics of truth and honesty, but one study has reported that 87% of parents are happy about such a deception.1 The ethics committee readily gave its consent to the plan. But was the committee right?
Notes
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b5074
Footnotes
Competing interests: The Santa Claus imposter received payment from NN to finance a troop of elves, a supply of carrots, and a bottle of rum.
References
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