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A multimedia consent tool for research participants in the Gambia: a randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT: To assess the effectiveness of a multimedia informed consent tool for adults participating in a clinical trial in the Gambia.Adults eligible for inclusion in a malaria treatment trial (n?=?311) were randomized to receive information needed for informed consent using either a multimedia tool (intervention arm) or a standard procedure (control arm). A computerized, audio questionnaire was used to assess participants' comprehension of informed consent. This was done immediately after consent had been obtained (at day 0) and at subsequent follow-up visits (days 7, 14, 21 and 28). The acceptability and ease of use of the multimedia tool were assessed in focus groups.On day 0, the median comprehension score in the intervention arm was 64% compared with 40% in the control arm (P?=?0.042). The difference remained significant at all follow-up visits. Poorer comprehension was independently associated with female sex (odds ratio, OR: 0.29; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.12-0.70) and residing in Jahaly rather than Basse province (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.13-0.82). There was no significant independent association with educational level. The risk that a participant's comprehension score would drop to half of the initial value was lower in the intervention arm (hazard ratio 0.22, 95% CI: 0.16-0.31). Overall, 70% (42/60) of focus group participants from the intervention arm found the multimedia tool clear and easy to understand.A multimedia informed consent tool significantly improved comprehension and retention of consent information by research participants with low levels of literacy.

SUBMITTER: Afolabi MO

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4431516 | biostudies-other | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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A multimedia consent tool for research participants in the Gambia: a randomized controlled trial.

Afolabi Muhammed Olanrewaju MO McGrath Nuala N D'Alessandro Umberto U Kampmann Beate B Imoukhuede Egeruan B EB Ravinetto Raffaella M RM Alexander Neal N Larson Heidi J HJ Chandramohan Daniel D Bojang Kalifa K

Bulletin of the World Health Organization 20150323 5

<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the effectiveness of a multimedia informed consent tool for adults participating in a clinical trial in the Gambia.<h4>Methods</h4>Adults eligible for inclusion in a malaria treatment trial (n = 311) were randomized to receive information needed for informed consent using either a multimedia tool (intervention arm) or a standard procedure (control arm). A computerized, audio questionnaire was used to assess participants' comprehension of informed consent. This was don ...[more]

PMID: 26229203

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Project description:BackgroundThe traditional informed consent (IC) process rarely emphasizes research participants' comprehension of medical information, leaving them vulnerable to unknown risks and consequences associated with procedures or studies.ObjectiveThis paper explores how we evaluated the feasibility of a digital health tool called Virtual Multimedia Interactive Informed Consent (VIC) for advancing the IC process and compared the results with traditional paper-based methods of IC.MethodsUsing digital health and web-based coaching, we developed the VIC tool that uses multimedia and other digital features to improve the current IC process. The tool was developed on the basis of the user-centered design process and Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning. This study is a randomized controlled trial that compares the feasibility of VIC with standard paper consent to understand the impact of interactive digital consent. Participants were recruited from the Winchester Chest Clinic at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut, and healthy individuals were recruited from the community using fliers. In this coordinator-assisted trial, participants were randomized to complete the IC process using VIC on the iPad or with traditional paper consent. The study was conducted at the Winchester Chest Clinic, and the outcomes were self-assessed through coordinator-administered questionnaires.ResultsA total of 50 participants were recruited in the study (VIC, n=25; paper, n=25). The participants in both groups had high comprehension. VIC participants reported higher satisfaction, higher perceived ease of use, higher ability to complete the consent independently, and shorter perceived time to complete the consent process.ConclusionsThe use of dynamic, interactive audiovisual elements in VIC may improve participants' satisfaction and facilitate the IC process. We believe that using VIC in an ongoing, real-world study rather than a hypothetical study improved the reliability of our findings, which demonstrates VIC's potential to improve research participants' comprehension and the overall process of IC.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02537886; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02537886.

Project description:ObjectiveInformation on the rights of subjects in clinical trials has become increasingly complex and difficult to understand. This study evaluates whether a simple booklet which is relevant to all research studies improves the understanding of rights needed for subjects to provide informed consent.Methods21 currently used informed consent forms (ICF) from international clinical trials were separated into information related to the specific research study, and general information on participants' rights. A booklet designed to provide information on participants' rights which used simple language was developed to replace this information in current ICF's Readability of each component of ICF's and the booklet was then assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid Reading ease score (FK). To further evaluate the booklet 282 hospital inpatients were randomised to one of three ways to present research information; a standard ICF, the booklet combined with a short ICF, or the booklet combined with a simplified ICF. Comprehension of information related to the research proposal and to participant's rights was assessed by questionnaire.ResultsInformation related to participants' rights contributed an average of 44% of the words in standard ICFs, and was harder to read than information describing the clinical trial (FK 25 versus (vs.) 41 respectively, p?=?0.0003). The booklet reduced the number of words and improved FK from 25 to 42. The simplified ICF had a slightly higher FK score than the standard ICF (50 vs. 42). Comprehension assessed in inpatients was better for the booklet and short ICF 62%, (95% confidence interval (CI) 56 to 67) correct, or simplified ICF 62% (CI 58 to 68) correct compared to 52%, (CI 47 to 57) correct for the standard ICF, p?=?0.009. This was due to better understanding of questions on rights (62% vs. 49% correct, p?=?0.0008). Comprehension of study related information was similar for the simplified and standard ICF (60% vs. 64% correct, p?=?0.68).ConclusionsA booklet provides a simple consistent approach to providing information on participant rights which is relevant to all research studies, and improves comprehension of patients who typically participate in clinical trials.

Project description:BACKGROUND/AIMS:Participant understanding is a key element of informed consent for enrollment in research. However, participants often do not understand the nature, risks, benefits, or design of the studies in which they take part. Research on medical practices, which studies standard interventions rather than new treatments, has the potential to be especially confusing to participants because it is embedded within usual clinical care. Our objective in this randomized study was to compare the ability of a range of multimedia informational aids to improve participant understanding in the context of research on medical practices. METHODS:We administered a web-based survey to members of a proprietary online panel sample selected to match national US demographics. Respondents were randomized to one of five arms: four content-equivalent informational aids (animated videos, slideshows with voice-over, comics, and text) and one no-intervention control. We measured knowledge of research on medical practices using a summary knowledge score from 10 questions based on the content of the informational aids. We used analysis of variance and paired t-tests to compare knowledge scores between arms. RESULTS:There were 1500 completed surveys (300 in each arm). Mean knowledge scores were highest for the slideshows with voice-over (65.7%), followed by the animated videos (62.7%), comics (60.7%), text (57.2%), and control (50.3%). Differences between arms were statistically significant except between the slideshows with voice-over and animated videos and between the animated videos and comics. Informational aids that included an audio component (animated videos and slideshows with voice-over) had higher knowledge scores than those without an audio component (64.2% vs 59.0%, p?<?.0001). There was no difference between informational aids with a character-driven story component (animated videos and comics) and those without. CONCLUSION:Our results show that simple multimedia aids that use a dual-channel approach, such as voice-over with visual reinforcement, can improve participant knowledge more effectively than text alone. However, the relatively low knowledge scores suggest that targeted informational aids may be needed to teach some particularly challenging concepts. Nonetheless, our results demonstrate the potential to improve informed consent for research on medical practices using multimedia aids that include simplified language and visual metaphors.

Project description:ObjectiveTelemedicine networks are beginning to provide an avenue for conducting emergency medicine research, but using telemedicine to recruit participants for clinical trials has not been validated. The goal of this consent study was to determine whether patient comprehension of telemedicine-enabled research informed consent is noninferior to standard face-to-face (F2F) research informed consent.MethodsA prospective, open-label randomized controlled trial was performed in a 60,000-visit Midwestern academic emergency department (ED) to test whether telemedicine-enabled research informed consent provided noninferior comprehension compared with standard consent. This study was conducted as part of a parent clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of 0.12% oral chlorhexidine gluconate in preventing hospital-acquired pneumonia among adult ED patients with expected hospital admission. Prior to being recruited into the study, potential participants were randomized in a 1:1 allocation ratio to consent by telemedicine versus standard F2F consent. Telemedicine connectivity was provided using a commercially available interface (REACH platform, Vidyo Inc.) to an emergency physician located in another part of the ED. Comprehension of research consent (primary outcome) was measured using the modified quality of informed consent (QuIC) instrument, a validated tool for measuring research informed consent comprehension. Parent trial accrual rate and qualitative survey data were secondary outcomes.ResultsA total of 131 patients were randomized (n = 64, telemedicine), and 101 QuIC surveys were completed. Comprehension of research informed consent using telemedicine was not inferior to F2F consent (QuIC scores 74.4 ± 8.1 vs. 74.4 ± 6.9 on a 100-point scale, p = 0.999). Subjective understanding of consent (p = 0.194) and parent trial study accrual rates (56% vs. 69%, p = 0.142) were similar.ConclusionTelemedicine is noninferior to F2F consent for delivering research informed consent, with no detected differences in comprehension and patient-reported understanding. This consent study will inform design of future telemedicine-enabled clinical trials.

Project description:ObjectivesTo assess: 1) the feasibility of electronic information provision; 2) gather evidence on the topics and level of detail of information potential research participant's accessed; 3) to assess satisfaction and understanding.DesignObservational study with an embedded randomised controlled trial.SettingLow risk intervention study based in primary care.ParticipantsWhite British & Irish, South Asian and African-Caribbean subjects aged between 40-74 years eligible for a blood pressure monitoring study.InterventionsPDF copy of the standard paper participant information sheet (PDF-PIS) and an electronic Interactive Information Sheet (IIS) where participants could choose both the type and level of detail accessed.Main outcome measures1) Proportion of participants providing an email address and accessing electronic information 2) Willingness to participate in a recruitment clinic. 3) Type and depth of information accessed on the IIS. 4) Participant satisfaction and understanding.Results1160 participants were eligible for the study. Of these, 276 (24%) provided an active email address, of whom 84 did not respond to the email. 106 responded to the email but chose not to access any electronic information and were therefore ineligible for randomisation. 42 were randomised to receive the PDF-PIS and 44 to receive the IIS (with consent rates of 48% and 36%, respectively; odds ratio 0.6, 95% confidence interval 0.25 to 1.4). Electronic observation of information accessed by potential participants showed 41% chose to access no information and only 9% accessed the detail presented on the Research Ethics Committee approved participant information sheet before booking to attend a recruitment clinic for the intervention study. 63 of the 106 participants (59%) who chose not to access any electronic information also booked an appointment.ConclusionsCurrent written information about research may not be read, emphasising the importance of the consent interview and consideration of new ways of presenting complex information.

Project description:ObjectivePoor participant comprehension of research procedures following the conventional face-to-face consent process for biomedical research is common. We describe the development of a multimedia informed consent video and website that incorporates cognitive strategies to enhance comprehension of study related material directed to parents and adolescents.Materials and methodsA multidisciplinary team was assembled for development of the video and website that included human subjects professionals; psychologist researchers; institutional video and web developers; bioinformaticians and programmers; and parent and adolescent stakeholders. Five learning strategies that included Sensory-Modality view, Coherence, Signaling, Redundancy, and Personalization were integrated into a 15-min video and website material that describes a clinical research trial.ResultsA diverse team collaborated extensively over 15months to design and build a multimedia platform for obtaining parental permission and adolescent assent for participant in as asthma clinical trial. Examples of the learning principles included, having a narrator describe what was being viewed on the video (sensory-modality); eliminating unnecessary text and graphics (coherence); having the initial portion of the video explain the sections of the video to be viewed (signaling); avoiding simultaneous presentation of text and graphics (redundancy); and having a consistent narrator throughout the video (personalization).DiscussionExisting conventional and multimedia processes for obtaining research informed consent have not actively incorporated basic principles of human cognition and learning in the design and implementation of these processes. The present paper illustrates how this can be achieved, setting the stage for rigorous evaluation of potential benefits such as improved comprehension, satisfaction with the consent process, and completion of research objectives.ConclusionNew consent strategies that have an integrated cognitive approach need to be developed and tested in controlled trials.

Dataset Information

A multimedia consent tool for research participants in the Gambia: a randomized controlled trial.

Publications

A multimedia consent tool for research participants in the Gambia: a randomized controlled trial.

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