Evaluation of the quality of informed consent in a vaccine field trial in a developing country setting
2008

Evaluating Informed Consent Quality in a Vaccine Trial

Sample size: 192 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Minnies Deon, Hawkridge Tony, Hanekom Willem, Ehrlich Rodney, London Leslie, Hussey Greg

Primary Institution: University of Cape Town

Hypothesis

The study aims to evaluate the quality of informed consent in a case control study nested within a TB vaccine efficacy trial.

Conclusion

The quality of informed consent in this study was encouraging, with most participants demonstrating good recall and understanding despite low literacy levels.

Supporting Evidence

  • 79% of participants were aware of the risks involved in the study.
  • Participants with higher education levels were more likely to understand the consent process.
  • The majority of participants scored above 75% in both recall and understanding assessments.

Takeaway

The study found that most parents understood the consent process for their children's participation in a vaccine trial, which is important for ethical research.

Methodology

A cross-sectional study was conducted over four months, where parents completed a questionnaire assessing their recall and understanding of informed consent.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the socioeconomic status of participants and the language used during the consent process.

Limitations

The study did not assess long-term retention of information and may not fully capture the emotional aspects of consent.

Participant Demographics

{"age":{"median":26,"range":"16-44"},"language":{"Afrikaans":56.8,"Xhosa":43.2},"education":{"Grade 6 or less":23.4,"Grade 7 to 11":42.8,"Grade 12 or higher":33.9},"telephone_access":57.9}

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.0000

Confidence Interval

95% CI = 1.57 – 15.55

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6939-9-15

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication