Is consent for research genuinely informed? Using decision aid tools to obtain informed consent in the global south

Bibliographic Data

ID12893142
AuthorsMarylène Dugas (Université de Montréal, corresponding author), Janice Graham (0000-0002-6326-8122, Dalhousie University)
Year2011
Volume7
Issue3
Pages349-359
Publication date2011-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Global Ethics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1744-9626 • E-ISSN: 1744-9634
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17449626.2011.591817
OpenAlexW2048823562
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited15

Gaining informed consent among marginalized groups that include decisionally incapacitated individuals and those outside of the researcher's own geo-social and ethnic background still challenges many researchers. We suggest that there is a need for consideration of a different approach to research ethics in international settings. Based on extensive field work in West Africa on medical knowledge transfers and patient–healer relationships, this paper will discuss the challenges posed in obtaining informed individual consent in international settings. It is argued that while being on the whole convincing, the top-down approach of the proposed solutions, which clearly dominates the participative approach, fails in building sustainable capacity, decision-making competency, and empowerment in the communities in which the research is conducted. Using appropriate decision aids can help resolve these issues

Alternative medicine · Engineering ethics · Informed consent · Political science · Sociology · Engineering · Ethics in Clinical Research · Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life · Medicine · Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare · Psychology