Can Consent to Participate in Clinical Research Involve Shared Decision Making?

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Clinical Research Ethics
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Shared decision making (SDM) is crucial for patient autonomy and comprehension in clinical practice.
• Applying SDM to research informed consent presents unique challenges due to divergent interests and clinical equipoise.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify the distinct interests of investigators and patients in research informed consent.
• To explore the application of SDM principles within research settings.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of investigator and patient interests in research contexts.
• Discussion of how SDM communication strategies can be adapted for research informed consent.

Main Results:

• Identifying potential conflicts between investigator and patient goals during research recruitment.
• Demonstrating that SDM, with transparency, can facilitate ethical research participation.

Conclusions:

• SDM principles can be ethically integrated into research informed consent processes.
• Transparency regarding competing interests is key to leveraging SDM for patient-centered research recruitment.