The Elderly Patient and Informed Consent

Abstract

This study examines the competence of the elderly to give informed\nconsent to participate in research by assessing and comparing the willingness\nof elderly and young medical patients to participate in six hypothetical\nexperiments of various risk-benefit ratios. Competence was determined by a\nthree-part analysis of the consent--comprehension of consent material, quality\nof reasoning about the decision whether or not to participate, and\nreasonableness of choice. The elderly subjects showed significantly poorer\nunderstanding of consent material but only insignificantly poorer scores in\nthe other two dimensions. The authors cautiously generalize to treatment\nsituations and suggest screening for competence, developing aids to\ncomprehension, enlisting family members' help, and seeking proxy consent if\nnecessary. (KIE abstract)