About the Broken Promises - Shattered Lives Project

By Carol Musgrove

About this Project


Broken Promises – Shattered Lives is an independent investigative initiative focused on informed consent, clinical trials, and the intersection of law, ethics, and lived experience.


This project emerged from direct personal experience, extensive documentation, and years of research into how informed consent actually operates in practice—not just in theory.


Why this Matters


Informed consent is often treated as a formality.

A document to be signed.

A process to be completed.

But in reality, it is one of the most important safeguards intended to protect individuals when making decisions that may carry risk.



When informed consent works properly, it supports:

Understanding

Decision-making

Transparency
 
Accountability



When it fails 


the consequences can extend far beyond a single moment or a single document.



What this Project Does


This platform brings together:

  • Analytical Articles examining systems, frameworks, and obligations

  • Insights capturing real-world experiences and critical moments

  • Supporting Resources for transparency and independent review


It explores informed consent not only in clinical trials, but across a broader context including:

  • Legal agreements

  • Insurance and financial contracts

  • Employment terms

  • Digital and social media platforms



Because informed consent is not limited to medicine.


It affects everyone.


In everyday life.


A Different Approach


Rather than focusing only on theory or regulation, this project connects:

  • Documents
  • Decisions
  • Outcomes


It asks:

  • What are people really agreeing to?

  • What are they told—and what is left unclear?

  • What happens when expectations and outcomes diverge?



Moving Forward


This is an evolving body of work.

Additional articles, insights, and supporting materials are in development and will be added over time.



The goal is simple:

To encourage greater awareness, 

deeper questioning, 

and a clearer understanding of informed consent 

and its real-world implications.



Because a signature is not the same as understanding.


And understanding matters.

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