Medical law and ethics: consent of an illiterate participant: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Medical law and ethics: consent of an illiterate participant

Sample item

An illiterate farmer agrees to join a clinical trial. How should consent be documented under the ethical guidelines?

AThe form is read out and explained, he gives a thumb impression, and an impartial literate witness signsBThe village head signsCHis literate son signs on his behalfDOral consent is enough with no record

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. The form is read out and explained, he gives a thumb impression, and an impartial literate witness signs

For an illiterate participant, the information is read and explained in his language, he gives a thumb impression, and an impartial literate witness attests that the consent was freely given. The process is also audio-video recorded.

Option by option

A. The form is read out and explained, he gives a thumb impression, and an impartial literate witness signs (correct)
Correct. Explanation, thumb impression and an impartial witness are the standard.
B. The village head signs
A village head is not an impartial witness and cannot sign instead.
C. His literate son signs on his behalf
A relative cannot consent on behalf of a competent adult.
D. Oral consent is enough with no record
Consent must be documented, even for an illiterate participant.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is A, The form is read out and explained, he gives a thumb impression, and an impartial literate witness signs. For an illiterate participant, the information is read and explained in his language, he gives a thumb impression, and an impartial literate witness attests that the consent was freely given.

Why is "The village head signs" not the answer?

A village head is not an impartial witness and cannot sign instead.

Why is "His literate son signs on his behalf" not the answer?

A relative cannot consent on behalf of a competent adult.

Why is "Oral consent is enough with no record" not the answer?

Consent must be documented, even for an illiterate participant.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Medical law and ethics: consent of an illiterate participant in Forensic Medicine. The process is also audio-video recorded.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Medical law and ethics: consent of an illiterate participant?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.