Dynamic Consent and Personalised Medicine

In Australia, guidelines for ethical conduct of human research are defined in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, which states: “consent should be a voluntary choice, and should be based on sufficient information and adequate understanding of both the proposed research and the implications of participation in it”.

The conventional one‐off approach to consent aims to encompass all aspects of the proposed research. An expectation exists, however, that consent is specific, and obtained after a participant has gained a thorough understanding of the project’s aims, methods, risks, and benefits. Participants should also have the right to revoke their consent and withdraw from any or all aspects of the project.

Biobanking specimens for future use in currently unplanned (and often unforeseeable) future research exemplifies challenges for conventional consent. Dynamic consent has the potential to increase participant recruitment, reduce attrition, increase engagement and satisfaction with research, improve communication, build trust, increase the inclusivity of research, improve participants’ understanding of research, and even increase health literacy.

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