Legal and Ethical Nursing
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
Legal and Ethical Nursing
Central Ethical Issue
Corrigan (2003) is concerned with the current framework of informed consent which she terms as ‘empty ethics.’ Informed consent is widely believed to be the moral principle that governs research studies involving human subjects (Keatings & Adams, 2019; Yeo et al., 2020; Corrigan, 2003). However, the central ethical issue in the article is that the current model is viewing informed consent as a solution to all ethical difficulties that might be encountered in a particular biomedical research study (ethical panacea). In the current model, informed consent is restricted by the ideas of ‘respect for autonomy’, a person’s freedom to choose, and a field of choice that is shaped by prevailing circumstances.
Differing Aspect of the Case
Corrigan presents a number of differing aspects of the current model of making informed consent. First, the framework does not consider the social context within which informed consent is made. For example, considering the fact that patients have different stages of illnesses (seriously ill versus mild conditions), varied physical and emotional needs, anxiety about prognosis, and different treatment expectations may cause them to them lack the freedom of making active choices (Corrigan, 2003). From the case she reviewed, Corrigan realized that subjects put a high degree of trust on the medical staff and doctors leading a clinical trial and the science behind it. They lack the freedom to carefully consider the potential risks and benefits that might arise from a clinical trial. Second, the framework obscures issues that might ensue during a clinical trial. For example, events of a trial such as the effects of a drug are not added to a participant’s medical notes to keep him or her informed. According to Corrrigan (2003), to uphold the moral principle of informed consent should mean respect for human autonomy in all circumstances and allowing subjects to withdraw at any time in the course of a study.
Alternative Actions
Corrigan admits that obtaining a ‘valid’ informed consent goes beyond the standards implied by bioethics policies and guidelines. She has proposed a paternalistic approach to informed consent where doctors who are leading a clinical trial should make decisions on behalf of subjects or volunteers as to whether they should participate or not. She further recommends that informed consent should be expanded from its limited and tight focus to include the crucial dependent relationship between the doctor and the patient (Corrigan, 2003).
References
Corrigan, O. (2003). Empty ethics: The problem with informed consent. Sociology of Health & Illness, 25(7), 768-792. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1467-9566.2003.00369.x
Keatings, M. & Adams, P. (2019). Ethical & legal issues in Canadian Nursing (4th ed.). Toronto: Elsevier. (pp. 100-162).
Yeo, M., Moorhouse, A., Khan, P. & Rodney, P. (2020). Concepts and cases in nursing ethics (4 th ed.). Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press. (pp. 161-237).