Research imperative

Abstract There is a note of caution expressed when clinical care providers enroll their own patients into investigational trials, a concern expressed in the called dual-role consent. There is concern that this circumstance may create a conflict of interest for the physician-investigator, lead to loss of patient voluntarism, and promote the therapeutic misconceptions. In this opinion paper, I review the circumstances surrounding participation in clinical research and the conduct of standard patient care. I propose that when a patient is eligible for an institutional review board-approved clinical trial, instead of representing a potential ethical lapse, soliciting enrollment by the clinician-researcher may represent optimal care for the patient.