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‘At the point at which you can do something about it, then it becomes more relevant’: informed consent in the pharmacogenetic clinic
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 10:04 authored by Adam HedgecoeSociological investigation of informed consent has generated rich and complex descriptions of the clinical encounter, often challenging the straightforward picture painted by medical ethicists. This paper builds on this work, drawing on ideas from the Sociology of Science and Technology, to explore informed consent issues surrounding the use of the drug Herceptin, widely cited as an example of a novel approach to drug development called pharmacogenetics. Drawing on qualitative semi-structured interviews with 25 UK-based breast cancer specialists, this paper explores Herceptin's disputed epistemological status, as an example of pharmacogenetics or as something out of the ordinary in terms of clinical practice. It considers how, in turn, this impacts on the way in which informed consent is sought and influenced by clinicians’ desire to protect patients from possibly distressing test results. It highlights the flexible, contingent and context dependent nature of informed consent in the clinical setting.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Social Science and MedicineISSN
0898-9621Publisher
ElsevierExternal DOI
Issue
6Volume
61Page range
1201-1210Pages
10.0Department affiliated with
- Sociology and Criminology Publications
Notes
The article contributes to a developing area of research: the sociology of bioethics. By taking traditional bioethical concerns, in this case informed consent, and exploring how they develop in a medical setting, this article aims to emphasise the socially constructed nature of bioethical reasoning. While work in this area has been published on other medical topics, this is the first article to move discussion of the sociology of bioethics into debates around pharmacogenetics.Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
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