Making Research a Requirement of Treatment: Why We Should Sometimes Let Doctors Pressure Patients to Participate in Research

Abstract

This article argues that there is a need to relax the precautions taken to ensure voluntary participation of patients in research involving the comparison of two or more established therapies to see whether one is superior to the alternative(s). For many medical problems, physicians can choose among multiple therapeutic options, and the choice is typically based more on hunch than on data. Patients would benefit greatly from studies that clarify the relative benefits and risks of different options for their illnesses. When a patient could be offered one of multiple established treatments, doctors should be able to offer treatment only if the patient agrees to participate in research aimed at determining which of the treatments is most effective.

Keywords: medical research, informed consent

JEL Classification: I19, K32