Citation:
Guidelines on health research involving minors. Kuala Lumpur: National Institute of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia; 2011 [MREC DOC.01-2010]
Matched MeSH terms: Minors; Informed Consent By Minors
When minors are asked to assist medical educators by acting as standardized patients (SPs), there is a potential for the minors to be exploited. Minors deserve protection from exploitation. Such protection has been written into regulations governing medical research and into child labor laws. But there are no similar guidelines for minors' work in medical education. This article addresses the question of whether there should be rules. Should minors be required to give their informed consent or assent? Are there certain practices that could cause harm for the children who become SPs? We present a controversial case and ask a number of experts to consider the ethical issues that arise when minors are asked to act as SPs in medical education.