REPLY
Bacteriuria and Incontinence in Nursing Home Residents
Joseph G. Ouslander, MD;
John Schnelle, PhD; and
Gwen Uman, PhD
1 February 1996 | Volume 124 Issue 3 | Pages 373-374
IN RESPONSE:
We agree that potentially bothersome ethical issues arise with conducting research in cognitively impaired nursing home residents and have previously outlined our approaches to these and other related issues [1, 2].
We may not have been clear enough in stating our consent procedures for this study. We first assessed the potential participant's capacity to consent with input from nursing home staff. Because of the high prevalence of dementia among incontinent nursing home residents, written consent was obtained in most cases from a responsible proxy before the patient was enrolled in the study. The patients' assent was assessed as we began working with them. If they repeatedly refused study procedures or became physically or verbally agitated, they were dropped from the protocol. We believe that our procedures respect the rights of nursing home residents to participate or refuse to participate in research.
We also strongly believe that research is desperately needed to improve the quality of life and quality of care for the burgeoning nursing home population. For most such research, enrolling cognitively impaired patients is essential to make the findings relevant and generalizable to the nursing home population. See also references [1, 2]
|
Author and Article Information
|
|---|
Jewish Home for the Aging; Reseda, CA 91335
1. Ouslander JG, Schnelle JF. Research in nursing homes: practical aspects. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1993; 41:182-7.
2. Ouslander JG, Osterweil D, Morley J. Medical Care in the Nursing Home. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1991:367-76.
About Letters
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
Top
Author & Article Info
References
Article
