Article Sidebar
Article Details
Issue
Section
Articles
Copyright belongs to The Arab Society of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation (ASNRT)
Main Article Content
Informed Consent for Inclusion into Clinical Trials: A Serious Subject to Note in the Developing World Morteza
Abstract
Introduction: Informed consent is a critical issue especially in conducting clinical trials that expose human life to medical or surgical interventions. It necessitates a long and complex process through which the participant is
presented with all potential favorable and non-favorable consequences upon getting enrolled in the study.
Review: The process of taking informed consent is wellunderstood
in developed countries, with every effort taken to enhance and maintain the autonomy of patients and their right to make an informed choice of whether to participate or not. This may not be the case in the
developing world. The information given to patients before the trial might not be properly developed and presented, an issue that can result in serious threat to the decision-making process. On the other hand, investigators should remember that enrolling people into a trial with
no potential benefit for themselves cannot be considered ethical. In the current debate, we aim to address the issue of how respectfully and ethically clinical research trials can be done on human subjects and what we can do to enhance the practice in an ethical context.
Conclusion: Development of a system through which we could warrant all rights of study participants in all cases around the world seems far from view. However, if we are in doubt about the ethics of a clinical trial, we can ask ourselves: “what would we do, if we were in the same position our patients are in now?”
presented with all potential favorable and non-favorable consequences upon getting enrolled in the study.
Review: The process of taking informed consent is wellunderstood
in developed countries, with every effort taken to enhance and maintain the autonomy of patients and their right to make an informed choice of whether to participate or not. This may not be the case in the
developing world. The information given to patients before the trial might not be properly developed and presented, an issue that can result in serious threat to the decision-making process. On the other hand, investigators should remember that enrolling people into a trial with
no potential benefit for themselves cannot be considered ethical. In the current debate, we aim to address the issue of how respectfully and ethically clinical research trials can be done on human subjects and what we can do to enhance the practice in an ethical context.
Conclusion: Development of a system through which we could warrant all rights of study participants in all cases around the world seems far from view. However, if we are in doubt about the ethics of a clinical trial, we can ask ourselves: “what would we do, if we were in the same position our patients are in now?”
