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Research ethics
The search for clarity in communicating research results to study participants
1 Bioethics Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
2 Department of Bioethics, The Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Correspondence to:
Mr D I Shalowitz, Bioethics Program, University of Michigan Medical School, NI7C27/SPC 5429, 300 North Ingalls St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109–5429, USA; dshalowi{at}med.umich.edu
Current guidelines on investigators' responsibilities to communicate research results to study participants may differ on (1) whether investigators should proactively re-contact participants, (2) the type of results to be offered, (3) the need for clinical relevance before disclosure, and (4) the stage of research at which results should be offered. Lack of consistency on these issues, however, does not undermine investigators' obligation to offer to disclose research results: an obligation rooted firmly in the principle of respect for research participants.
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