background esophageal cancer is highly prevalent among the turkman people in northeastern iran. in order to evaluate its etiology, there is an on-going prospective cohort study in this area involving approximately 50000 subjects over the age of 40 years. the majority of these subjects are illiterate, thus obtaining inâ­formed consent is very important and difficult. methods initially, we explai...

BACKGROUND This essay provides an ethical and conceptual argument for the use of informed consent prior to the diagnosis of brain death. It is meant to enable the family to make critical end-of-life decisions, particularly withdrawal of life support system and organ donation, before brain death is diagnosed, as opposed to the current practice of making such decisions after the diagnosis of deat...

BACKGROUND Currently there is increasing recognition of the need for research in developing countries where disease burden is high. Understanding the role of local factors is important for undertaking ethical research in developing countries. We explored factors relating to information and communication during the process of informed consent, and the approach that should be followed for gaining...

In genetic medicine, a patient's diagnosis can mean their family members are also at risk, raising a question about how consent and confidentiality should function in clinical genetics. This question is particularly pressing when it is unclear whether a patient has shared information. Conventionally, healthcare professionals view confidentiality at an individual level and 'disclosure without co...

BACKGROUND Recruitment to clinical research studies can prove complex. This is particularly true of mental health research, given factors such as confidentiality, capacity and consent, or when attempting to recruit family members as opposed to service users themselves. AIM This study investigated the challenges experienced and strategies employed in the recruitment of siblings of people with ...

BACKGROUND Genealogical research and ancestry testing are popular recreational activities but little is known about the impact of the use of these services on clients' biological and social families. Ancestry databases are being enriched with self-reported data and data from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analyses, but also are being linked to other direct-to-consumer genetic testing and research ...

Minor-aged patients are often brought to the pediatrician for nonurgent acute medical care, physical examinations, or health supervision visits by someone other than their legally authorized representative, which, in most situations, is a parent. These surrogates or proxies can be members of the child’s extended family, such as a grandparent, adult sibling, or aunt/uncle; a noncustodial parent ...

Background Despite the importance of HIV testing for controlling the HIV epidemic, testing rates remain low. Efforts to scale up testing coverage and frequency in hard-to-reach and at-risk populations commonly focus on home-based HIV testing. This study evaluates the effect of a gift (a US$5 food voucher for families) on consent rates for home-based HIV testing. Methods We use data on 18 478 ...