The doctrine of prior informed consent derives from medical ethics, where it concerns the patient's right to agree to, or refuse, certain medical treatment after being informed by the practitioner about the risks and benefits. The concept extends increasingly to other fields, notably to medical research using human tissue. The 2005 UNESCO Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights provides that both scientific research and medical interventions "should only be carried out with the prior, free, express and informed consent of the person concerned." This approach would appear to require a patient's express consent in the event that samples taken in the course of the medical intervention are used for research purposes.
展开▼
