© 2005 BMJ Publishing Group & Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
LEADING ARTICLE
Ethics
Informing children and parents about research
1 Centre for Professional Ethics, Keele University, UK
2 Neonatal Unit, North Staffordshire University Hospital NHS Trust, Stoke on Trent, UK
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr S A Spencer
Neonatal Unit, North Staffordshire University Hospital NHS Trust, City General, Newcastle Road, Stoke on Trent ST4 6QC, UK; andy.spencer@uhns.nhs.uk
A discussion of the difficulties involved
Keywords: information; informed consent; leaflet; research governance
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Current international,1,2 European,3,4 and UK5,6 research frameworks require all competent participants in research to give an informed consent. An informed consent can be defined as a decision made by a competent individual, free of any undue influence, on the basis of all of the relevant information.7 Evidence exists that difficulties in obtaining an informed consent are leading to recruitment failure in essential paediatric research.8 Clinical research is vital to ensure that patients receive the best possible treatments. Such research either improves the quality of care or saves lives. For example, clear benefits can be shown from the results of childhood cancer trials.9 Research is especially important in relation to children, given the poor evidence base for much of paediatrics.3,5 It is therefore necessary to use all possible means to improve the ability of parents and children to come to an informed position regarding research proposals, so that recruitment into
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Arch. Dis. Child. 2005 90: 221.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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