Kopchak 1

Rylee Kopchak
Miss Burke
Honors English 11
May 12, 2017

Annotated Bibliography: Informed Patient Consent

Informed Consent. Acog. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, August

2009. Web. http://www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-

Opinions/Committee-on-Ethics/Informed-Consent. Accessed 17 May 2017.

This source defines informed consent and discusses the importance of its role in

medical research. The ACOG Committee on Ethics outlines the history, ethical basis, and

purpose of informed consent in a medical setting. The source also explains two main

ethical concepts of informed consent: comprehension and free consent. Informed consent

has become pertinent in medical practice and the ACOG explains eight reasons why it is

an integral part of research. This article describes that gaining informed consent from

patients is an ethical requirement and is partially reflected in legal documents. This

source states that informed consent protects the patient and allows them to be better

involved in the clinical research being conducted. The ACOG also discusses the

necessity of communication between patients and doctors. It encourages doctors to

become familiar with policies within their own practices and institutions, as they often

vary.

In addition, the AGOC offers historical background regarding informed patient consent

and clinical research. It discusses the evolution of medical ethics and how it influenced
 Kopchak 2

the way research was conducted in the United States. This source stresses that informed

consent is both an ethical and legal matter. The AGOC acknowledges that there are

discrepancies regarding what qualifies as informed consent, but insists that patient

consent is extremely important. The AGOC argues that informed consent can benefit a

patient significantly, as they actively participate in making their own medical decisions.

This source can be used by medical professionals who are interested in gaining a better

understanding of how to conduct research ethically. This article could also be helpful to

patients who want to learn more about what informed consent truly means and how it

applies to them.

Paterick, Timothy, et al. Medical Informed Consent: General Considerations for Physicians.

Mayoclinicproceedings. Elsevier, Inc., March 2008. Web.

http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)60864-1/fulltext?cc=y=.

Accessed 18 May 2017.

This source provides in-depth information about patient consent and the duties of medical

professionals. Particularly, this article discusses informed consent from a legal

standpoint. The authors of this article focus on twelve main topics that revolve around

the topic of informed consent in medical research. The source recognized that informed

consent is the foundation of a solid relationship between a doctor and their patients and

should be taken very seriously. It suggests that the potential benefits of the medical

research being conducted should always be considered prior to asking for participants. In
 Kopchak 3

regards to ethics, this source states that physicians are morally mandated to obtain

consent from patients. This article also discusses the development of informed consent

laws and provides an example of a medical informed consent case.

In addition, this source defines what is known as the standard of disclosure and a

doctors duty to their patients. Medical professionals are required to disclose any risks to

patients involved in research. This article describes the Doctrine of Medical Informed

Consent, which is a set of guidelines that requires a discussion of potential risks and

benefits. The authors clearly define voluntary consent, which is necessary when

conducting research in a clinical setting. This article explains how informed patient

consent is obtained as well as its purpose. One thing found in this article that was

difficult to find was information on withdrawing consent or refusing treatment. Finally,

this source discusses what should be done regarding informed consent in emergencies as

well as good clinical practices. This article by the Mayo Clinic would be helpful to all

medical professionals and could be used to inform and educate others about the many

aspects of informed patient consent.

Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Broadway, 2017. Print.

In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot writes about the woman behind the

famous HeLa cells. In addition to providing the medical background of Henrietta Lacks,

Skloot describes her personal life story. The book gives a detailed summary of

Henriettas fight against cervical cancer and discusses the treatments doctors used to help
 Kopchak 4

her. The author interviewed many of Henriettas family members in order to better

understand what she was like and the challenges she faced. Skloot also explains the

ethical controversy that surrounded the use of HeLa cells. Many people believe that

Henriettas cells were taken unethically, because the doctors did not inform her that they

would be used for medical research. The Lacks family did not discover that Henriettas

cells were still alive until many years after Henriettas death. In the 1950s, when this

book took place, there were very little guidelines or laws regarding the necessity of

acquiring patient informed consent. Henriettas case was particularly controversial, as

her cervical tissue was removed before it was used for medical research. Many people

argue that the tissue no longer belonged to Henrietta after it was removed by doctors.

Despite this, its ethicality remains questionable, as informed consent has become an

integral part of proper medical practices. In addition, members of the Lacks family

believe that they should have received some form of compensation for the use of HeLa

cells, which have greatly contributed to the advancement of medicine. The issues

revolving around HeLa cells continue today, as they are still used for research and to find

new cures and treatments for diseases. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks could be

used as reading material for students in Science or English classes. This book could also

be utilized as a source for research about HeLa cells or ethics in medicine.

Ungar, Laura. No-consent Medical Experiments Put Ethics to Test. Usatoday. USA Today, 28

May 2015. Web. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/05/28/ethical-issues-

abound-in-medical-research-without-informed-consent/27960251/. Accessed 17 May

2017.
 Kopchak 5

In this article, Laura Ungar writes about issues regarding informed consent in medical

research. She discusses the increasingly common problem of doctors not informing their

patients that they are participating in clinical research. Ungar then describes a study led

by the University of Pittsburgh, which showed that notifications about involvement in

medical research have reached few people. The article offers two main suggestions on

how to solve the issue. One doctor suggests that greater funding for research would be

helpful, while another doctor believes that it is important to reach out to potential subjects

in an effective way.

Ungar also gives a brief overview and background of research without consent. She

explains that the idea of informed consent is rooted in the Nuremberg Code, which was

established after World War II. Ungar states that most studies performed today do require

the patient to give consent, unless patients or their families cannot possibly provide

permission. This source includes the opinions of many medical professionals and their

views on medical research. It also discusses regulations and guidelines that have been

established to prevent research from being conducted without consent. Ungar writes

about the purpose of medical studies, which are done to potentially save lives. She

assesses the risk of participating in medical research, writing that some studies have

harmed patients. Ungar attempts to weigh the pros and cons of participating in clinical

trials by discussing several studies that were successful. This article comes from a news

source and its purpose is to inform the public of the importance of patient consent in

research. People who are interested in participating in medical research could find this
 Kopchak 6

source valuable and use it to inform themselves about the advantages and disadvantages

of participating in research.

Wendler, David. "The Ethics of Clinical Research." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

(Spring 2017 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). Web.

https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2017/entries/clinical-research/. Accessed 16 May

2017.

Wendlers publication offers a detailed overview of ethics in medical research and

discusses the many different opinions surrounding the subject matter. The main topics

outlined in this source include an in-depth definition of medical research and its history,

violations of medical ethics, guidelines, and the goals of medical research. In addition,

Wendler addresses the challenges of medical research and the risks it poses to test

subjects. This source gives insight into the purpose behind medical research and lists

both its pros and cons. The question this article seeks to answer is whether or not it is

acceptable to put individuals at risk for the potential benefit of others.

Wendler explains that main goal of clinical research is to improve human health. This is

accomplished by searching for new treatments and ways to prevent illnesses. Wendler

writes that one of the biggest controversies in medical research ethics is who to use as test

subjects. The source contains information on early clinical research and its violations of

medical ethics. It then goes on to describe how past violations have led to new guidelines

that are implemented in modern day clinical trials. Wendler specifically mentions the
 Kopchak 7

impact of the horrific experiments conducted by Nazi Germany during WWIIthe

Nuremburg Code. Wendler explains that because of past failures in medical ethics,

consent is now required for clinical research. This source could be used by anyone

wanting to learn more about the history of medical research. In addition, it provides a

great background on medical ethics, including past violations and how medical research

has developed over time. This would be a great article for students, especially those in

college, to read if they are interested in having a career in medicine.