Informed consent is considered an application of which Belmont principle?
A. Non-maleficence
B. Beneficence
C. Respect for Persons
D. Justice
Correct Answer: C. Respect for Persons
Answer Explanation:
Informed consent is a key component of Respect for Persons, one of the core Belmont principles. This principle emphasizes the need to treat individuals with dignity and autonomy, ensuring that they are fully informed about the risks, benefits, and procedures involved in a study or intervention.
Informed consent is about providing participants with clear, understandable information and the ability to make a voluntary, autonomous decision regarding their participation. This aligns directly with the Belmont principle of Respect for Persons.
Why the other options are incorrect:
A. Non-maleficence:
This principle refers to the obligation to do no harm and minimize risks to participants. While related to ethical research practices, it is not specifically linked to informed consent.
Non-maleficence focuses on the safety and well-being of participants, rather than ensuring they understand and voluntarily agree to participate.
B. Beneficence:
Beneficence refers to the duty to maximize benefits and minimize harms in research. While it supports the ethical treatment of participants, it doesn’t directly address the necessity of obtaining informed consent, which focuses on respecting participants’ autonomy.
D. Justice:
The principle of justice concerns the fair distribution of the burdens and benefits of research across different populations. While it ensures fairness, it doesn’t specifically address the process of informed consent, which is more about individual autonomy.
Therefore, the correct answer is C. Respect for Persons, as it directly relates to the process of obtaining informed consent in research and ensuring individuals can make autonomous decisions based on full information.
References
National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. (1979). The Belmont Report: Ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. U.S. Government Printing Office. Available at: https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/belmont-report/index.html
Miller, F. G., & Wendler, D. (2007). The ethics of informed consent in research. American Journal of Bioethics, 7(4), 11-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265160701257044
Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0190840831
Faden, R. R., & Beauchamp, T. L. (1986). A history and theory of informed consent. Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0195031980
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