“... the obsessed curiosity in our nature, spilling her time by anticipating future matters, as if it is not sufficient to cope with present matters...” Michel de Montaigne, Essays
Abstract
In this paper the author raises a number of general and specific doubts concerning the employment of advance directives in clinical research.
From a general point of view, they are little used even in the countries in which they are legally recognised. From the specific point of view of the demented patient, the profoundly regressive personality changes during the course of the disease make it difficult to believe that there is a continuity between the person who expressed precise opinions when he was in good health or only slightly affected and the same person in an advanced phase of the disease. Especially in non-therapeutic studies, in which any benefit to participants is missing, the author's opinion is that the directly expressed consent of the participants should be absolutely required.
Sommario
In questo articolo vengono sollevate numerose perplessità riguardanti l'utilizzo delle direttive anticipate nella ricerca clinica. Da un punto di vista generale viene sottolineato il loro scarso utilizzo anche nei paesi nei quali sono legalmente riconosciute, da un punto di vista specifico della condizione del paziente demente si rimarca, considerate le modificazioni regressive della personalità che intervengono nella malattia, la possibilità che esista una netta discontinuità tra colui che ha espresso delle opzioni prima di ammalarsi o in fasi iniziali di malattia e l'individuo in fase ormai conclamata.
Viene anche contestato il loro possibile utilizzo nelle ricerche non terapeutiche, dove, mancando un possibile beneficio per chi vi si presta, si ritiene necessario un consenso espresso direttamente dal paziente.
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Professor of Medical Ethics, Limburg University Center, Diepenbeek, Belgium
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Berghmans, R.L.P. Advance directives for clinical research in dementia. Ital J Neuro Sci 18 (Suppl 5), 29–33 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02048204
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02048204