A Post: Read a situation and consider the relevant ethical practices/dilemmas that are being discussed.

Case Study:

Dr. Wendy Malik operates an independent practice in a suburban area. She is also working on testing the efficacy of a new intervention that she is planning to present at an upcoming conference. She receives a referral from a physician, with whom she has a positive working relationship who also happens to be a perfect candidate for her study. Dr. Malik contacts the patient, completes a phone screening, and sets up an appointment with Mr. Larry David. She is planning to see Mr. David as a patient, but also use his information for her study. She did not say anything to Mr. David about the study.

As is her practice, Dr. Malik sends a confirmation email, attaching her version of the informed consent she usually sends to all her patients that covers such points as type of services provided, fees, insurance, and confidentiality. She instructs Mr. David that he does not have to print it out, only review it and they would discuss any questions at the initial appointment.

Several days later, Dr. Malik checks her email. In it, Mr. David sent her an email with an attachment. Mr. David asks Dr. Malik to review his edits on the informed consent document.

While Dr. Malik notes some suggested corrections on the document, Mr. David modified the cancellation policy. Dr. Malik's form (and standard policy) says that appointments canceled with less than 24-hour notice will be charged to the patient. Mr. David added a sentence that if Dr. Malik cancels an appointment with less than 24 hours in advance, Mr. David expects Dr. Malik to pay him an amount equal to her hourly rate. However, Dr. Malik won't be able to accommodate his request being that he is going to be in her study, so she declines his edit due to the conflict of interest. She doesn't want it to seem like she is forcing his participation. As an alternative, she encouraged Mr.David to "friend" her on LinkedIn saying that she will be able to give him extra help if he needs it as a thank you for participating in her research study. Mr. David "friended" Dr. Malik on Facebook and sent her a private message saying that he was confused about the research part.

In your initial post answer the following: What went wrong? What recommendations would you give Dr. Malik to resolve her problem with the research study AND her practice. Identify and discuss relevant ethical principles and how they are being confronted. Discuss how you would approach the situation. How might this show up in your own work? What precautions/boundaries can you take or create that would keep you from having to deal with this ethical dilemma?