Informed Consent In Research

The principle of informed consent come about in the late 1940s when physicians faced prosecution in the Nuremberg’s trials. Informed consent is a process that protects human beings by requiring doctors to obtain consent from patients before performing a procedure. Participants must fully understand the procedures, benefits, and risks before getting involved. The ethical problems include:

1. Communication barriers between participants (patients) and researchers (healthcare professionals) can create misunderstandings and prevent participants from making fully autonomous decisions. The main objective of informed consent is to respect and promote participants’ autonomy (respect for person) and to protect them from potential harm (beneficence);

The individual can make their choices autonomously. This is indirectly stating that no human should have authority or power over another person, though few human acts are ever fully free and without the influence of some factors (Baillie, McGeehan, Garrett, Garrett, 2013, p. 42). Informed consent implies that no one should be treated without a signed informed consent document either from the patient or the surrogate except for a very critical emergency when the patient is not mentally fit to consent, and the family members are unknown. Unwanted touches are ethically not acceptable because this can be counted for battery and assault. Patients have a right to privacy and non-interference. The healthcare professionals are obligated to give needed information to patients and relate the risks, and the benefits of a test/treatment. The detail information given will allow the patient to make the best decision on what he/she chooses to do. Hiding information about a diagnosis or not revealing the potential complications because a patient may refuse care seems unethical. Patients have the right to know about their health to make informed

Professionals should tell patients about the costs of tests to be transparent. No doubt, testing, and screening are costly, and some may be labeled preventive care that isn’t covered by insurance may not pay for. Further testing may be better to establish a diagnosis. Repeated testing may be overwhelming to patients, but it’s preferable to giving a wrong diagnosis. In the video of the story of HELA, the ethical barriers are portrayed because Henry’s family was confused by the language health professionals used. The “cell” they mentioned misconstrued by the family as a “prison.” Healthcare professionals must use simple words to explain things to patients. Henry’s cell was taken without his consent. The physician did not even tell him that his cell has been taken. The Greek physicians did not believe that a patient’s consent is needed either, but this cannot be the practice in the 21st century (Baillie, McGeehan, Garrett, Garrett, 2013, p.