Altruistic discourse and therapeutic misconception in research informed consent.
Altruistic discourse and therapeutic misconception in research informed consent.
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研究知情同意中的利他话语和治疗误解。
DOI：
10.1080/15265160600862924
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发表时间：
2006
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Joffe,Steven
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Joffe,Steven
Simon et al.(2006) make an important contribution to the limited literature on the role of altruism in the research informed consent process. Studying 140 parental permission (and sometimes child assent) discussions regarding randomized trials in childhood leukemia, they found that the subject of altruism arose in approximately two-thirds of meetings. When present, the topic was typically raised by the physician–investigator rather than by the parents or child. Finally, within the limits imposed by sample size, they found no clear evidence that discussions of altruism were associated with a greater (or reduced) likelihood of trial participation. This study is notable for its use of direct observation and its multicenter design; the findings are likely generalizable to pediatric oncology more broadly, at least in the United States.Simon et al.(2006) set their findings against a strain of normative analysis—likely a minority view—that finds recourse to altruism in justifying clinical research to be ethically problematic (Wolpe 2000; Horrobin 2003). The critics cited by Simon and his colleagues offer two kinds of reasons for discomfort with altruistic discourse in research. First, the critics note the empirical data indicating that selfinterest appears to play a greater role than altruism in driving subjects’ decisions about research participation; these data suggest that discussions of altruism may align poorly with the reasoning of most research subjects. Second, the critics charge that clinical trials first and foremost serve the decidedly nonaltruistic interests of commercial sponsors, as well as of investigators and research institutions; therefore invoking the altruism of prospective subjects misrepresents the nature of the research.
