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Communal discourse as a supplement to informed consent for genetic research

Nature Genetics volume 17, pages 277–279 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

Genetic technologies present unique problems for the practice of informed consent. They provide information that may affect a study participant's family or kindred, which may be identifiable as an ethnic or locally isolated population. That information may be used to construct adverse perceptions of such identifiable populations, including non-participants who may not have been informed of or consented to the analyses. To address collective implications of genetic research, we describe a process that can supplement individual consent. Our approach engages pre-existing social units in discourses about proposed research. Communal discourses can influence individuals' decisions to participate in research studies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019, USA

    Morris W. Foster

  2. Oklahoma Oncology, Inc., 1705 East 19th Street, Suite 201, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74104, USA

    Ann J. Eisenbraun

  3. William K. Warren Medical Research Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73190, USA

    Thomas H. Carter

Authors
  1. Morris W. Foster
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  2. Ann J. Eisenbraun
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  3. Thomas H. Carter
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Correspondence to Morris W. Foster.

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Foster, M., Eisenbraun, A. & Carter, T. Communal discourse as a supplement to informed consent for genetic research. Nat Genet 17, 277–279 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1197-277

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1197-277

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