ArticleJournal of medical ethics2018
Healthcare professionals' understanding of the legislation governing research involving adults lacking mental capacity in England and Wales: a national survey.
Article in Journal of medical ethics, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Use of Mental Capacity and Mental Health Laws in the Care of People Living With Dementia in Residential and Hospital Settings: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Dementia (London, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Patient, family member and healthcare professionals' experiences of physiotherapy airway clearance techniques during hospital admission: a scoping review.ERJ open research · 2026Article
- Proxy decision-making about participation in palliative care research: A scoping review.Palliative medicine · 2026Article
- Redesigning trials to be inclusive of people with a learning disability-a practical example.Trials · 2026Article
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- Determining capacity of people with dementia to take part in research: an electronic survey study of researcher confidence, competence and training needs.BMC medical ethics · 2024Article
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- Considerations for legal, ethical, and effective practice in dementia research.Brain communications · 2024Review
- Exploring Psychiatrists' Experiences During Transition from Mental Health Act, 1987 to Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 in Goa, India.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- 'They don't want them to have capacity': Multi-agency operationalisation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in England with adults who self-neglect.Health & social care in the community · 2022Article
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- 'Do I have the capacity to make capacity judgements?' Researcher reflections from a person-centred dementia support study.Dementia (London, England) · 2022Article
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- Article
- Advances and challenges in conducting ethical trials involving populations lacking capacity to consent: A decade in review.Contemporary clinical trials · 2020Article
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- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo examine health and social care professionals' understanding of the legislation governing research involving adults lacking mental capacity in England and Wales.
methodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted using a series of vignettes. Participants were asked to select the legally authorised decision-maker in each scenario and provide supporting reasons. Responses were compared with existing legal frameworks and analysed according to their level of concordance.
resultsOne hundred and twenty-seven professionals participated. Levels of discordance between responses and the legal frameworks were high across all five scenarios (76%-82%). Nearly half of the participants (46%) provided responses that were discordant in all scenarios. Only two participants (2%) provided concordant responses across all five scenarios. DISCUSSION: Participants demonstrated a lack of knowledge about the legal frameworks, the locus of authority and the legal basis for decision-making. The findings raise concern about the accessibility of research for those who lack capacity, the ability to conduct research involving such groups and the impact on the evidence base for their care.
conclusionThis is the first study to examine health and social care professionals' knowledge and understanding of the dual legal frameworks in the UK. Health and social care professionals' understanding and attitudes towards research involving adults with incapacity may warrant further in-depth exploration. The findings from this survey suggest that greater training and education is required.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.