Victoria Shepherd

TL;DR: To understand how many adults who lack capacity to consent are actually enrolled in clinical trials, it is explored how many of the participants lacked capacity, and who acted as a consultee or legal representative on their behalf.

TL;DR: This paper explores the research regulation provisions for proxy decision making for those unable to provide informed consent for themselves, and the subsequent legal and practical difficulties for decision-makers.

TL;DR: Regulatory changes are recommended to ensure approvals processes are more proportionate to risk and context, to ensure that care home residents have the opportunity to participate in research and are able to help generate much needed evidence to underpin care.

TL;DR: Clinicians should consider avoiding oral and topical antibiotic use in children with suspected infected eczema in the community who do not have signs of 'severe infection', and further research should seek to understand how best to encourage the use of topical steroids and limit use of antibiotics in those with Eczema flares without signs of severe infection.

TL;DR: This commentary draws on the literature exploring the inclusion of adults lacking the capacity to consent in research and a number of recent studies to describe the methodological, structural, and systemic factors contributing to the under-representation of adults with impaired capacity in trials.