This project, led by researchers at the University of Minnesota collaborating with a working group of prominent national scholars, tackled how researchers should handle incidental findings identified during research. Incidental findings are defined as unexpected findings beyond the domain of key interest in the research that have potential clinical significance, such as a suspicious mass revealed in a functional MRI (fMRI) study or an incidental finding of non-paternity in genetic research. What should consent forms say about this and how should IRBs consider the potential for incidental findings in their review of protocols?
