A History and Theory of Informed Consent

by Ruth R. Faden, Tom L. Beauchamp, Nancy M.P. King (Contributor)

Clearly argued and written in nontechnical language, this book provides a definitive account of informed consent. It begins by presenting the analytic framework for reasoning about informed consent found in moral philosophy and law. The authors then review and interpret the history of informed consent in clinical medicine, research, and the courts. They argue that respect for autonomy has had a central role in the justification and function of informed consent requirements. Then they present a theory of the nature of informed consent that is based on an appreciation of its historical roots. An important contribution to a topic of current legal and ethical debate, this study is accessible to everyone with a serious interest in biomedical ethics, including physicians, philosophers, policy makers, religious ethicists, lawyers, and psychologists. This timely analysis makes a significant contribution to the debate about the rights of patients and subjects.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Science

408 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Cold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covers the history and philosophy of informed consent nicely. There is no awkward effort to shoehorn one into the other. Informed consent as a policy requirement is more of a procedure, whereas the normative concept is more about autonomous authorization. The latter requires a lot of unpacking-autonomous as in freely made or as in the "true decision" of the individual, is there intention? how deliberate is this?, has information been merely disclosed or actually understood etc.

I like the quote about medical consent "everything changed and nothing changed" and the contrast between how it was communicated (non-binding codes of conduct) as compared to research consent (institutional review boards, federal laws etc).

The intellectual history is also nice- how autonomy dominated the other two justifications for consent (beneficence and another I've forgotten).

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This textbook of a book is about medical consent. It presents some interesting history and interpretation of laws. The problem is the author will relate a full case in one sentence and then spent five pages discussing the ramifications of that case. To be that invested in the outcome and obtain full understanding, I need to much more of the case.

[tana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit challenging when the legality was being discussed but I liked the unfolding history of how philosophy intersects the whole of the ethical question…I intend to read more!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very thorough treatment of the development & philosophy of informed consent, but I think that it spends too much time on historical developments (particularly as the main conclusion of the historical section is "We can't really know anything for sure about historical antecedents of informed consent."). The fact that this section is thematic rather than chronological also led to some confusion and repetition. The development of the philosophy / theory of informed consent was very interesting, if a little dry. Overall, this is rightfully considered essential background reading on the subject, but more recent work definitely fills in a lot of the gaps that are here.