CONSENT TO RESEARCH
What is Consent to Research?
Why is it so important?
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Consent to research means that a person should be able to make a free choice to join a research study. This idea that a person has the right to make a decision about medical research (research decision) for themselves is called “autonomy.”
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Several things need to happen for a person to be able to make a free choice. The person needs:
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Complete information about the research
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Understand the information about the research
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Think about how the research might affect their own life circumstances (read more about medical research decision making)
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State a free choice
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Some people cannot make decisions on their own. For example, very young children may not be able to understand research studies or how they would be affected by participating in them. Similarly, a person who does not speak English may not be able to understand the information given by a researcher who does not speak the patient’s native language. Other people may have a difficult time making a truly free choice due to restricted freedoms (such as people who are in prisons).