Informed consent of postmortem sampling: Bibliographic review.

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Medical Law
• Human Rights

Background:

• Informed consent is rooted in personal autonomy, human dignity, and freedom.
• Key bioethical principles like non-maleficence, justice, and beneficence are integral to informed consent.
• The study examines the intersection of bioethical and legal perspectives on informed consent for postmortem samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To delineate situations requiring informed consent for postmortem sample collection.
• To differentiate bioethical considerations from legal requirements in this context.
• To inform ethical guidelines for research involving postmortem samples.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was conducted across multiple databases (e.g., SCIELO, LILACS, NIH).
• Keywords included "informed consent," "autonomy," "bioethics," "post-mortem samples," and "forensic doctors."
• Inclusion criteria focused on recent (5-year limit), free-access articles in Spanish and English.

Main Results:

• An initial search yielded 113 articles, supplemented by 43 additional records from legal and regulatory sources.
• After filtering for relevance and completeness, 49 articles were included in the final analysis.
• The review identified a gap in specific guidelines for informed consent concerning postmortem samples.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need to update national and international ethical guidelines for scientific research.
• Specific protocols for informed consent in studies using postmortem samples after their initial use are recommended.
• Ensuring ethical practices in postmortem sample research is essential for upholding human dignity and autonomy.