Ethical Discussion of Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging Studies

During neuroimaging research, if the incidental findings can bring significant medical benefits to the research participants and their informed consent has been obtained, researchers should inform them of the incidental findings. This obligation can be ethically justified through the principles of r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Longfei FENG
Format: Article
Language:zho
Published: Editorial Office of Medicine and Philosophy 2025-01-01
Series:Yixue yu zhexue
Subjects:
Online Access:https://yizhe.dmu.edu.cn/article/doi/10.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.02.03
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849320736260358144
author Longfei FENG
author_facet Longfei FENG
author_sort Longfei FENG
collection DOAJ
description During neuroimaging research, if the incidental findings can bring significant medical benefits to the research participants and their informed consent has been obtained, researchers should inform them of the incidental findings. This obligation can be ethically justified through the principles of reciprocity, altruism, and the easy rescue theory. In addition, the easy rescue theory suggests that researchers bear a moral responsibility to make reasonable efforts to identify incidental findings, while balancing the cost and benefit of the research protocol. This paper also proposes the classification of incidental findings and specific feedback plans to ensure that research participants receive timely information about discoveries that may significantly impact their health. However, defining the scope of incidental findings is quite challenging and requires a comprehensive consideration of factors such as the scientific validity, clinical significance, and practical feasibility.
format Article
id doaj-art-5561524c4ddb4eb5bb8533dcaae55440
institution Kabale University
issn 1002-0772
language zho
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Editorial Office of Medicine and Philosophy
record_format Article
series Yixue yu zhexue
spelling doaj-art-5561524c4ddb4eb5bb8533dcaae554402025-08-20T03:50:00ZzhoEditorial Office of Medicine and PhilosophyYixue yu zhexue1002-07722025-01-01462121610.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.02.032-fenglongfeiEthical Discussion of Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging StudiesLongfei FENG0Aesthetic Medical School, Yichun University, Yichun 336000, ChinaDuring neuroimaging research, if the incidental findings can bring significant medical benefits to the research participants and their informed consent has been obtained, researchers should inform them of the incidental findings. This obligation can be ethically justified through the principles of reciprocity, altruism, and the easy rescue theory. In addition, the easy rescue theory suggests that researchers bear a moral responsibility to make reasonable efforts to identify incidental findings, while balancing the cost and benefit of the research protocol. This paper also proposes the classification of incidental findings and specific feedback plans to ensure that research participants receive timely information about discoveries that may significantly impact their health. However, defining the scope of incidental findings is quite challenging and requires a comprehensive consideration of factors such as the scientific validity, clinical significance, and practical feasibility.https://yizhe.dmu.edu.cn/article/doi/10.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.02.03neuroimaging studyincidental discoveryethical argumentdisclosure obligation
spellingShingle Longfei FENG
Ethical Discussion of Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging Studies
Yixue yu zhexue
neuroimaging study
incidental discovery
ethical argument
disclosure obligation
title Ethical Discussion of Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging Studies
title_full Ethical Discussion of Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging Studies
title_fullStr Ethical Discussion of Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging Studies
title_full_unstemmed Ethical Discussion of Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging Studies
title_short Ethical Discussion of Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging Studies
title_sort ethical discussion of incidental findings in neuroimaging studies
topic neuroimaging study
incidental discovery
ethical argument
disclosure obligation
url https://yizhe.dmu.edu.cn/article/doi/10.12014/j.issn.1002-0772.2025.02.03
work_keys_str_mv AT longfeifeng ethicaldiscussionofincidentalfindingsinneuroimagingstudies