Open AccessBridging Philosophical and Practical Implications of Incidental Findings in Brain Research
Author(s) -
Illes Judy,
Chin Vivian Nora
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the journal of law, medicine & ethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1748-720X
pISSN - 1073-1105
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-720x.2008.00273.x
Subject(s) - confidentiality , context (archaeology) , psychology , empirical research , duty , engineering ethics , research ethics , identification (biology) , clinical practice , medicine , political science , epistemology , psychiatry , law , paleontology , philosophy , biology , engineering , botany , family medicine
Empirical studies and ethical‐legal analyses have demonstrated that incidental fndings in the brain, most commonly vascular in origin, must be addressed in the current era of imaging research. The challenges, however, are substantial. The discovery and management of incidental fndings vary, at minimum, by institutional setting, professional background of investigators, and the inherent diferences between research and clinical protocols. In the context of human subjects protections, the challenges of disclosure of unexpected and potentially meaningful clinical information concern privacy and confdentiality, communication, and responsibility for follow‐up. Risks, including a blurring of boundaries between research and clinical practice, must be weighed against the possible beneft to subjects and a moral duty to inform. Identifcation and examination of these challenges have been met by scientifc interest and a robust, interdisciplinary response resulting in the pragmatic recommendations discussed here.