Research in ICU: consent and information. Part I: historical recalls and ethical reflections

Abstract

With severely ill patients and use of high-tech methods, intensive care medicine highlights the need and limitations of the informed consent. Following Nuremberg trial of Nazi medical crimes, the Nuremberg code made patients’ consent mandatory for medical research. Such a decision showed the ambiguity of the patient’s status, considered as sample of a biological species but also as a single and unique person. Several philosophical and ideological currents disagree, emphasizing either science advancement for the good of humanity to the detriment of the person, or the inalienable humanity of each single person. The temptation to increase the scientific knowledge at any price has led to the ongoing need to produce new texts to protect patients’ rights. New technologies make patients’ consent increasingly complex, questioning the actual definition of humanity.