Journal Article

Research involving the recently deceased: ethics questions that must be answered

Levan, Macey L, Lang, Ayannah, Root Wolpe, Paul, Dickert, Neal W, Homan, Mary, Pentz, Rebecca D, Webb, Adam, Arap, Wadih, Truog, Robert D, Latham, Stephen, Childs, Brian, Kates, Olivia S, Caplan, Arthur, Parent, Brendan, Kinlaw, Kathy

2024

Overview

Research involving recently deceased humans that are physiologically maintained following declaration of death by neurologic criteria—or ‘research involving the recently deceased’—can fill a translational research gap while reducing harm to animals and living human subjects. It also creates new challenges for honouring the donor’s legacy, respecting the rights of donor loved ones, resource allocation and public health. As this research model gains traction, new empirical ethics questions must be answered to preserve public trust in all forms of tissue donation and in the practice of medicine while respecting the legacy of the deceased and the rights of donor loved ones. This article suggests several topics for immediate investigation to understand the attitudes and experiences of researchers, clinical collaborators, donor loved ones and the public to ensure research involving the recently deceased advances ethically.

• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics,BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subject: Animal human relations / Attitudes / Biological organs / Blood & organ donations / Brain Death / Death / Donations / Donors / Ethics / Ethics, Research / Hospitals / Human subjects / Humans / Infections / Infectious diseases / Medical ethics / Medicine / Nurses / Original research / Physiology / Public health / Research ethics / Research subjects / Resource allocation / Rights / tissue and organ procurement / Tissue and Organ Procurement - ethics / Tissue Donors - ethics / Trust / Well being