Question

As a BSN prepared nurse, you will likely be asked to witness patient signing research consent forms. It is important to understand how to advocate for patients. How can you determine if a patient understands a research consent form and how the research trials and study will affect them.

Answer 1

The research consent obtains permission from the client regarding participation in a research  study. the consent informs the client about the possible risks ,consequences and benefit of the research.the consent should be taken by the authorised person (the researcher) . prior to that the researcher should expain the form to the client in detail , in understandable terms.

when the nurse is invoived in the informed consent process, the nurse is witnessing only the signature of the client on the informed consent form. as a patient advocate the nurse should  ensure that the client is aware about the all research process which he or she is participating. a patient understanding can be hindered by age, medication, or disease process; therefore ,nurses should always assess the patient during informed consent.

if the patient seems confused about the research study or has additional questions, your role is one of an advocate for the patient. instruct the patient not to sign the form until the requested information is obtained, notify the appropriate health care provider(researcher) and document the same.