The HER0-2 consent substudy, published in the Lancet in 2003, found that only 18% of study patients with acute MI read the patient information sheet before either giving or refusing their consent to care. Is patient consent any better-informed today, or have the demands of clinical research turned the consent form into a legal document that doesn't address patients' needs?

Dr Bob Harrington moderates a discussion with Drs Deepak Bhatt and Harvey White about the complex ethical and legal issues that surround informed consent and its relationship to patient care and clinical research.