Researching the Mental Capacity Act 2005

Reflections on governance, field relationships, and ethics with an adult who did not consent

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12902255
AutoresGodfred Boahen (0000-0002-7513-1422, Russian State Agrarian Correspondence University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2015
Volumen9
Número4
Páginas375-389
Fecha de publicación2015-10-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEthics and Social Welfare (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1749-6535 • E-ISSN: 1749-6543
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17496535.2015.1072571
OpenAlexW1841911932
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas36

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 codified procedures for involving incapacitated adults in research, set out statutory cognitive assessments, and established legality for studies in which participants cannot consent to their participation. While the general debates about the efficacy of Research Governance Frameworks are polarized and rehearsed, little has been written about the ethics and field relations of qualitative research with adults lacking capacity. Drawing on data from fieldwork with Abrax, a young man classified as ‘profoundly learning disabled’ who did not communicate verbally and required support to meet his physical needs, the process of seeking ethical approval is described. There is also a reflection on developing a relationship with Abrax, assessing his mental capacity to partake in research; and dealing with the ethical implications of uncertainty about his decision-making abilities. The thrust of the paper is support for the principle of regulating research with incapacitated adults while making the argument that a relationship-based ethical approach is a necessary augmentation to the current framework

Argument (complex analysis · Corporate governance · Engineering ethics · Field (mathematics · Field research · Informed consent · Management · Mental capacity · Mental health · Political science · Principle of legality · Process (computing · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Public relations · Qualitative research · Research ethics · Set (abstract data type · Social science · Sociology · Statutory law · Computer Science · Engineering · Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints · Healthcare innovation and challenges · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Medicine · Psychology