Research in critically ill patients: standards of informed consent.
Patients in critical care lose their capability to make a judgement, and constitute a 'vulnerable population' needing special and reinforced protection. Even if the standard of informed consent is an essential way of demonstrating respect for the patient's autonomy, the usual informed-consent procedure is not as applicable as required or sufficient to warrant this ethical principle in critical care.
Chenaud
Catherine
C
Service of Intensive Care, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Intensive Care, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. catherine.chenaud@hcuge.ch
Merlani
Paolo
P
Ricou
Bara
B
D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000941:ethics*; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy; D006805:Human Experimentation / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000592:standards*; D035842:Research Subjects