Research Involving Participants with Limited Capacity to Give Informed Consent
This essay derives from a discussion session held at the meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 10th September, 2014, of the New Zealand Schizophrenia Research Group. It includes most of what was said during this discussion, including numerous quotations from the several invited speakers. However, the essay places this discussion within the broader framework of high-level international documents on medical ethics, informed consent for both treatment and participation in research studies, and the rights of disabled or vulnerable persons. It also extends the discussion with the author’s own analysis of the complex issues involved, leading to his own conclusions about how the tensions between the underlying principles coming from various documents can best be resolved. Research Involving Participants with Limited Capacity to Give Informed Consent