Abstract
Although issues associated with returning individual research results to study participants
have been well explored, these issues have been less thoroughly investigated in “vulnerable”
individuals and populations. Considerations regarding return of research results to
these individuals and populations, including how best to ensure “truly informed consent”,
how to minimize the risks and benefits of the return of research results, and how
best to ensure justice, may differ from those of the population at large. In this
paper, we discuss the issues and challenges associated with the return of individual
research results (such as genomic, proteomic, or other biomarker data) to potentially
vulnerable individuals and populations including those who may be vulnerable for cognitive,
communicative, institutional, social, deferential, medical, economic or social reasons.
We explore factors that should be considered in the design, conduct and oversight
of ethically responsible research involving the return of research results to vulnerable
individuals and populations and discuss recommendations for those engaged in this
work.
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Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
June 1,
2022
Received in revised form:
May 31,
2022
Received:
April 23,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
Funding: None
Disclosures: none declared.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Society for Investigative Pathology.
