Beyond informed consent: the therapeutic misconception and trust

The therapeutic misconception has been seen as presenting an ethical problem because failure to distinguish the aims of research participation from those receiving ordinary treatment may seriously undermine the informed consent of research subjects. Hence, most theoretical and empirical work on the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical ethics 2008-03, Vol.34 (3), p.202-205
Main Authors: de Melo-Martín, I, Ho, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Beneficence
Bioethics
Clinical research
Clinical trials
Comprehension - ethics
Ethical aspects
Ethics
Ethics, Research
Human subjects
Humans
Informed consent
Informed consent (Medical law)
Informed Consent - ethics
Institutional review boards
Medical research
Medical treatment
Misconception
Personal Autonomy
Physicians
Research ethics
Research Subjects
Researcher-Subject Relations - ethics
Therapeutic Human Experimentation - ethics
therapeutic misconception
Therapies, Investigational - ethics
Trust
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Summary:The therapeutic misconception has been seen as presenting an ethical problem because failure to distinguish the aims of research participation from those receiving ordinary treatment may seriously undermine the informed consent of research subjects. Hence, most theoretical and empirical work on the problems of the therapeutic misconception has been directed to evaluate whether, and to what degree, this confusion invalidates the consent of subjects. We argue here that this focus on the understanding component of informed consent, while important, might be too narrow to capture the ethical complexity of the therapeutic misconception. We show that concerns about misplaced trust and exploitation of such trust are also relevant, and ought to be taken into account, when considering why the therapeutic misconception matters ethically.
ISSN:0306-6800
1473-4257
DOI:10.1136/jme.2006.019406