Informed consent is necessary for formal research. Healees must be given the choice of participating or not, based on full information of what the treatment options and interventions will be.

In "blinded" studies, ealees may be asked to sign a conditional agreement, indicating that they will participate in the study but that they may or may not receive the treatment(s) under study and agreeing that they will not be told until the end of the study which treatment group they were in.

In some prayer studies, no informed consent has been required because the perception of the institutional review board was that no direct, observable or measurable intervention is used. Many healers will not send distant healing or prayer without the consent of the healee. This is an ethical issue requiring further discussion and agreement among healers, healees, researchers, and administrative authorities.

Healees must be given the option to withdraw from the study at any time they choose.

Healees are usually informed at the end of the study about the results of the study.