Submited on: 12 Sep 2010 11:45:47 AM GMT
Published on: 12 Sep 2010 01:03:54 PM GMT
 
The Issues of Incapacity to Consent
Posted by Dr. William J Maloney on 09 Feb 2014 10:25:22 PM GMT Reviewed by Interested Peers

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    The author's aim is to highlightthe reasons for a limb amputation and the issues surrounding the incapacity to consent.


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    Yes


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    Yes


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    Yes


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    No


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    Yes


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    No


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    Yes- It would be a very good lecture for any healthcare professional providing direct patient care.


  • Other Comments:

    The author discusses various methods by which an individual's capacity to consent is assessed. The author stresses that autonomy is the most fundamental point of consent and that incapacitated patients have, essentially, a non-existent level of outonomy.  The author advises surgeons to be aware of the local laws regarding consent.

  • Competing interests:
    None
  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    No
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:

    None

  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    Clinical associate professor

  • How to cite:  Maloney W J.The Issues of Incapacity to Consent[Review of the article 'The Issues of Incapacity to Give Consent ' by Siddiqui M].WebmedCentral 2010;5(2):WMCRW002963
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1 Is the subject of the article within the scope of the subject category? Partly
2 Are the interpretations / conclusions sound and justified by the data? Yes
3 Is this a new and original contribution? Yes
4 Does this paper exemplify an awareness of other research on the topic? Yes
5 Are structure and length satisfactory? Yes
6 Can you suggest brief additions or amendments or an introductory statement that will increase the value of this paper for an international audience? Yes
7 Can you suggest any reductions in the paper, or deletions of parts? No
8 Is the quality of the diction satisfactory? No
9 Are the illustrations and tables necessary and acceptable? Yes
10 Are the references adequate and are they all necessary? No
11 Are the keywords and abstract or summary informative? Yes
  • Other Comments:

    This is a useful, if rather unpolished, contribution to the literature. Although this paper is classified under "Quality and Patient Safety", it is especially likely to be interest resders looking in the "Medical Ethics" section. The author notes that issues of consent have "become an extremely contentious issue in recent years especially due to the Alder Hey and Bristol scandals." Unfortunately, these events are unlikely to be well known to clinicians outside the UK, so a reference or two in this regard would be helpful. (For instance: English V, Sommerville A. Presumed consent for transplantation: a dead issue after Alder Hey? J Med Ethics. 2003 Jun;29(3):147-52.) A similar situaltion exists with the author's reference to the "Bournewood case." Abbreviations such as GMC,PRHO and QOL should be listed in a table for easy reference. The section "Author's Contributions" should be revised; as it stands the section explains the objectives of the article. The references are incomplete in many cases. Reference 31 referring to the 10 commandments might benefit from a more appropriate reference. Reference 32 contains a spelling error. Finally, I recommend polishing of the paper for content and clarity.

  • Competing interests:
    No
  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    No
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    Yes
  • References:
    Doyle DJ. An Introduction to Bioethics and Ethical Theory. Ethics in Biology, Engineering and Medicine. 1:19-41 (2010)
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    Certificate in Bioethics, Cleveland State University.

  • How to cite:  Doyle D .Review of "The Issues of Incapacity to Give Consent"[Review of the article 'The Issues of Incapacity to Give Consent ' by Siddiqui M].WebmedCentral 2010;1(12):WMCRW00289
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