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Soofi H. Assent to research by the formerly competent: necessary and sufficient? JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2023:jme-2023-109008. [PMID: 37045593 DOI: 10.1136/jme-2023-109008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hojjat Soofi
- Sydney Health Ethics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Nix HP, Largent EA, Taljaard M, Mitchell SL, Weijer C. Ethical analysis of vulnerabilities in cluster randomized trials involving people living with dementia in long-term care homes. J Am Geriatr Soc 2023; 71:588-598. [PMID: 36435175 PMCID: PMC9957897 DOI: 10.1111/jgs.18128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cluster randomized trials (CRT) of non-pharmacological interventions are an important means of improving the quality of care and quality of life of people living with dementia (PLWD) in long-term care (LTC) homes. PLWD in LTC homes are, however, vulnerable in manifold ways. Therefore, researchers require guidance to ensure that the rights and welfare of PLWD are protected in the course of this valuable research. In this article, we introduce a framework for identifying vulnerabilities in randomized trials and apply it to three CRTs involving PLWD in LTC homes. CRTs may render PLWD in LTC homes vulnerable to three autonomy wrongs: inadequately informed consent, inadequately voluntary consent, and invasions of privacy; two welfare wrongs: risks of therapeutic procedure exceed potential benefits, and excessive risk of non-therapeutic procedures; and one justice wrong: unjust impact of research activities on care. We then discuss appropriate, feasible additional protections that can be implemented to mitigate vulnerability while preserving the scientific validity of the CRT. Corresponding additional protections that can be feasibly implemented include capacity assessments, substitute decision-makers, assent, insulation from LTC home employees during the consent process, patient advocates, utilizing LTC home employees for data collection, stakeholder engagement, additional supervision during study procedures, using caregivers to complete questionnaires by proxy, and gatekeeper permission. Reassuringly, many of these additional protections promote, rather than imperil, the scientific validity of these trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayden P Nix
- Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada
- Oxford Uehiro Center for Practical Ethics, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Emily A Largent
- Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Monica Taljaard
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Susan L Mitchell
- Hebrew SeniorLife Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Charles Weijer
- Department of Medicine, Western University, London, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, Canada
- Department of Philosophy, Western University, London, Canada
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Anything Goes? Analyzing Varied Understandings of Assent. Camb Q Healthc Ethics 2023; 32:76-89. [PMID: 36468375 DOI: 10.1017/s0963180122000524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
Assent to medical research or treatment may be an intuitively attractive way to address the area between incapacity and capacity that might otherwise be subject to a best interests assessment. Assent has become a widely disseminated concept in law, research, and clinical ethics, but little conceptual work on assent has so far occurred. An exploration of use of assent in treatment and research in children and people with dementia suggests that at least five claims are made on behalf of assent. Since at least some of these may lead to tensions with others, assent requires firmer conceptual underpinning. Whether assent remains primarily a local approach to research in children in the United States, where it appears to fit with legal background conditions, or develops its promise to overturn the dominant, binary, approach to (in)capacity will depend on the strength of future philosophical work to improve the theoretical foundations to assent.
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Soofi H. Respect for Autonomy and Dementia Care in Nursing Homes: Revising Beauchamp and Childress's Account of Autonomous Decision-Making. JOURNAL OF BIOETHICAL INQUIRY 2022; 19:467-479. [PMID: 35749025 PMCID: PMC9463234 DOI: 10.1007/s11673-022-10195-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Specifying the moral demands of respect for the autonomy of people with dementia (PWD) in nursing homes (NHs) remains a challenging conceptual task. These challenges arise primarily because received notions of autonomous decision-making and informed consent do not straightforwardly apply to PWD in NHs. In this paper, I investigate whether, and to what extent, the influential account of autonomous decision-making and informed consent proposed by Beauchamp and Childress has applicability and relevance to PWD in NHs. Despite its otherwise practical orientation and suitability for acute care settings, I identify three problems with this account when applied to PWD in NHs. These problems include (1) intentionality as an all-or-nothing condition of autonomous decision-making, (2) construing consent as one-off authorization, and (3) unresolved ambiguities around the primacy of precedent autonomy over best interest considerations. To address these problems, I propose and defend a number of revisions to Beauchamp and Childress's account. First, I suggest that we consider intentionality as a non-binary criterion of autonomous decision-making. Second, I argue for a model of process consent to overcome the moral inadequacy of construing consent as one-off authorization in NHs. And, to overcome the third problem, I suggest accounting for both precedent and extant autonomy of PWD, considering mandates of precedent autonomy not as prescriptive but as informative, and drawing a less rigid distinction between autonomy considerations and best interest judgements. I conclude that this revised version of Beauchamp and Childress's account fares better than the original version in capturing relevant autonomy considerations to care for PWD in NHs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hojjat Soofi
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Macquarie University, Level 1, 75 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2113, Australia.
- Department of Philosophy, Macquarie Univesity, Levels 6, 25B Wally's Walk, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia.
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Pel-Littel RE, Snaterse M, Teppich NM, Buurman BM, van Etten-Jamaludin FS, van Weert JCM, Minkman MM, Scholte Op Reimer WJM. Barriers and facilitators for shared decision making in older patients with multiple chronic conditions: a systematic review. BMC Geriatr 2021; 21:112. [PMID: 33549059 PMCID: PMC7866443 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-021-02050-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The aim of this study was to describe barriers and facilitators for shared decision making (SDM) as experienced by older patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs), informal caregivers and health professionals. Methods A structured literature search was conducted with 5 databases. Two reviewers independently assessed studies for eligibility and performed a quality assessment. The results from the included studies were summarized using a predefined taxonomy. Results Our search yielded 3838 articles. Twenty-eight studies, listing 149 perceived barriers and 67 perceived facilitators for SDM, were included. Due to poor health and cognitive and/or physical impairments, older patients with MCCs participate less in SDM. Poor interpersonal skills of health professionals are perceived as hampering SDM, as do organizational barriers, such as pressure for time and high turnover of patients. However, among older patients with MCCs, SDM could be facilitated when patients share information about personal values, priorities and preferences, as well as information about quality of life and functional status. Informal caregivers may facilitate SDM by assisting patients with decision support, although informal caregivers can also complicate the SDM process, for example, when they have different views on treatment or the patient’s capability to be involved. Coordination of care when multiple health professionals are involved is perceived as important. Conclusions Although poor health is perceived as a barrier to participate in SDM, the personal experience of living with MCCs is considered valuable input in SDM. An explicit invitation to participate in SDM is important to older adults. Health professionals need a supporting organizational context and good communication skills to devise an individualized approach for patient care. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-021-02050-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth E Pel-Littel
- Vilans, Centre of Expertise for Long-term Care, PO Box 8228, Utrecht, RE, 3503, the Netherlands. .,Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Marjolein Snaterse
- ACHIEVE, Centre of Applied Research, Faculty of Health, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nelly Marela Teppich
- Vilans, Centre of Expertise for Long-term Care, PO Box 8228, Utrecht, RE, 3503, the Netherlands
| | - Bianca M Buurman
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatric Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,ACHIEVE, Centre of Applied Research, Faculty of Health, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Julia C M van Weert
- Amsterdam School of Communication Research/ASCoR, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mirella M Minkman
- Vilans, Centre of Expertise for Long-term Care, PO Box 8228, Utrecht, RE, 3503, the Netherlands.,University of Tilburg/TIAS School for Business and Society, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| | - Wilma J M Scholte Op Reimer
- ACHIEVE, Centre of Applied Research, Faculty of Health, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Abstract
End-of-life decision-making in patients with dementia is a complex topic. Belgium and the Netherlands have been at the forefront of legislative advancement and progressive societal changes concerning the perspectives toward physician-assisted death (PAD). Careful consideration of clinical and social aspects is essential during the end-of-life decision-making process in patients with dementia. Geriatric assent provides the physician, the patient and his family the opportunity to end life with dignity. Unbearable suffering, decisional competence, and awareness of memory deficits are among the clinical considerations that physicians should incorporate during the end-of-life decision-making process. However, as other societies introduce legislature granting the right of PAD, new social determinants should be considered; Mexico City is an example. Current perspectives regarding advance euthanasia directives (AED) and PAD in patients with dementia are evolving. A new perspective that hinges on the role of the family and geriatric assent should help culturally heterogeneous societies in the transition of their public health care policies regarding end-of-life choices.
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Mukherjee A, Livinski AA, Millum J, Chamut S, Boroumand S, Iafolla TJ, Adesanya MR, Dye BA. Informed consent in dental care and research for the older adult population: A systematic review. J Am Dent Assoc 2017; 148:211-220. [PMID: 28065430 DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2016.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Revised: 11/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ethics in health care and research is based on the fundamental principle of informed consent. However, informed consent in geriatric dentistry is not well documented. Poor health, cognitive decline, and the passive nature of many geriatric patients complicate this issue. METHODS The authors completed this systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The authors searched the PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library databases. The authors included studies if they involved participants 65 years or older and discussed topics related to informed consent beyond obtaining consent for health care. The authors explored informed consent issues in dentistry and other biomedical care and research. RESULTS The authors included 80 full-text articles on the basis of the inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 33 were conducted in the United States, 29 addressed consent issues in patients with cognitive impairment, 29 were conducted in patients with medical conditions, and only 3 involved consent related to dental care or research. CONCLUSIONS Informed consent is a neglected topic in geriatric dental care and research. Substantial knowledge gaps exist between the understanding and implementation of consent procedures. Additional research in this area could help address contemporary consent issues typically encountered by dental practitioners and to increase active participation from the geriatric population in dental care and research. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS This review is the first attempt, to the authors' knowledge, to identify informed consent issues comprehensively in geriatric dentistry. There is limited information in the informed consent literature covering key concepts applicable to geriatric dentistry. Addressing these gaps could assist dental health care professionals in managing complex ethical issues associated with geriatric dental patients.
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Babbitt KE, Bailey KJ, Coverdale JH, Chervenak FA, McCullough LB. Professionally responsible intrapartum management of patients with major mental disorders. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2014; 210:27-31. [PMID: 23791565 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2013.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Revised: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Pregnant women with major mental disorders present obstetricians with a range of clinical challenges, which are magnified when a psychotic or agitated patient presents in labor and there is limited time for decision making. This article provides the obstetrician with an algorithm to guide professionally responsible decision making with these patients. We searched for articles related to the intrapartum management of pregnant patients with major mental disorders, using 3 main search components: pregnancy, chronic mental illness, and ethics. No articles were found that addressed the clinical ethical challenges of decision making during the intrapartum period with these patients. We therefore developed an ethical framework with 4 components: the concept of the fetus as a patient; the presumption of decision-making capacity; the concept of assent; and beneficence-based clinical judgment. On the basis of this framework we propose an algorithm to guide professionally responsible decision making that asks 5 questions: (1) Does the patient have the capacity to consent to treatment?; (2) Is there time to attempt restoration of capacity?; (3) Is there an opportunity for substituted judgment?; (4) Is the patient accepting treatment?; (5) Is there an opportunity for active assent?; and (6) coerced clinical management as the least worst alternative. The algorithm is designed to support a deliberative, clinically comprehensive, preventive-ethics approach to guide obstetricians in decision making with this challenging population of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kriste E Babbitt
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Kala J Bailey
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - John H Coverdale
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Frank A Chervenak
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY
| | - Laurence B McCullough
- Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
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Sugarman J, Roter D, Cain C, Wallace R, Schmechel D, Welsh-Bohmer KA. Proxies and Consent Discussions for Dementia Research. J Am Geriatr Soc 2007; 55:556-61. [PMID: 17397434 DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01101.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To better understand the nature of informed consent encounters for research involving patients with dementia that requires proxy consent. DESIGN Audiotaping of informed-consent encounters for a study of genetic markers for sporadic Alzheimer's disease. SETTING Outpatients at an Alzheimer's disease research center. PARTICIPANTS Patients with dementia and their companions. MEASUREMENTS Audiotapes were analyzed to characterize communication style and coverage of the standard elements of informed consent and, using the Roter Interaction Analysis System, to capture the dynamics of three-way interaction between the patient, their companion, and the physician investigator. RESULTS Of 26 informed consent encounters, all involved a patient, a companion, and a physician. Patients had a mean Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of 21.8. For patients, 49% of their interactions involved agreement and approval (positive statements), 16% psychosocial information, 7% biomedical information, 7% asking questions, and 7% expressing emotion. Companion interactions involved 37% positive statements and 19% biomedical information. Physician interactions involved emotional expressiveness (30%) and positive statements (19%). Discussion length was positively related to MMSE score (Spearman rho=0.45; P<.02). Coverage of required elements of informed consent was fairly comprehensive and had no relationship to patients' MMSE scores. CONCLUSION These data should inform policies regarding the ethically appropriate ways of conducting research with cognitively impaired adults. For example, patients in this study were more silent than their companions and the physician, but when patients spoke, they primarily agreed with what was said. Although this might first seem to signal assent, such an interpretation should be made with caution for persons with dementia. In addition, previous work on informed consent has focused on its cognitive aspects, but these data reveal that the emotional and social dimensions warrant attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Sugarman
- Department of Medicine, Phoebe R. Berman Bioethics Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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