Active Listening in Informed Consent Discussions

摘要

Concern is often voiced about the potential study participant’s (“patient’s”) comprehension of the informed consent form and the discussion that follows. However, the discussion is a two-way affair, so both parties need to understand what the other is saying. During the informed consent discussion, potential study participants might not be the most effective communicators, especially given the foreign concepts and unfamiliar, possibly stressful situation. The person obtaining consent must therefore make an extra effort to understand what the patient is saying — or would want to say if he or she were able to articulate his or her fully developed thoughts.