Ethical Issues
One of the major ethical concerns involving patients with severe brain damage is their inability to communicate. By definition, patients that are unconscious or are minimally conscious are incapable of giving informed consent which is required for participation in clinical research. Typically, written approval is obtained from family members or legal representatives. The inability to receive informed consent has led to much research being refused grants, ethics committee approval, or research publication. This puts patients in these conditions at risk of being denied therapy that may be life-saving.
Read more about this topic: Minimally Conscious State
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