Electronic Informed Consent to Facilitate Recruitment of Pregnant Women Into Research.
Julia C Phillippi, Jennifer K Doersam, Jeremy L Neal and 1 others
PMID 29758172WHAT IT FOUND
After phone discussion, 61 eligible pregnant women consented electronically and completed the online form; none asked for paper consent.
Key findings
01Of 86 women screened, 71 were eligible, and 61 consented electronically.
02All 61 women who entered the study completed the electronic consent process.
03No woman requested a hardcopy form or an alternative consent process.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was the first year of one ongoing trial, not a completed study of the trial intervention. The women were recruited from three nurse-midwifery clinics where they frequently used a digital patient portal and were described as internet-savvy, so results may not transfer to clinics without portal access or to less digitally connected populations. There was no comparison group, so the study did not show that electronic consent is better than paper consent. The paper reports consent process outcomes, not patient health outcomes. The authors say further research is needed at other locations and with other populations.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflict of interest or relevant financial relationships. The article is listed as supported by NIH and U.S. government research grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high electronic consent rate as proof that e-consent works for all pregnant women or clinical populations. The study had no comparison group, was limited to one ongoing trial at three nurse-midwifery clinics, and did not test patient health outcomes.