Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38113088›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2023

Testing and Practical Implementation of a User-Friendly Personalized and Long-Term Electronic Informed Consent Prototype in Clinical Research: Mixed Methods Study.

Evelien De Sutter, David Geerts, Koen Yskout, Stef Verreydt, Pascal Borry, Liese Barbier, Isabelle Huys

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Evelien De SutterClinical Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Catholic University (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-6575-2033
David GeertsCatholic University (KU) Leuven Digital Society Institute, Catholic University (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0003-3933-9266
Koen Yskoutimec-DistriNet, Catholic University (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-9192-9100
Stef Verreydtimec-DistriNet, Catholic University (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0001-5570-4097
Pascal BorryCentre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Catholic University (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-4931-9560
Liese BarbierClinical Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Catholic University (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0003-1786-2080
Isabelle HuysClinical Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Catholic University (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0002-4738-8298

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOver the years, there has been increasing interest in electronic informed consent (eIC) in clinical research. The user-friendliness of an eIC application and its acceptance by stakeholders plays a central role in achieving successful implementation.

objectiveThis study aims to identify insights for the design and implementation of a user-friendly, personalized, and long-term eIC application based on a usability study with (potential) research participants and semistructured interviews with stakeholders on the practical integration of such an application into their daily practice.

methodsAn eIC prototype was evaluated and refined through usability testing among Belgian citizens and iterative redesign. On the basis of a digital literacy questionnaire, a heterogeneous sample of participants was established. Participants needed to complete a series of usability tasks related to personalization and long-term interaction with the research team while using the "think aloud" technique. In addition, usability tests involved completing the System Usability Scale questionnaire and taking part in a semistructured feedback interview. Furthermore, semistructured interviews were conducted with ethics committee members, health care professionals, and pharmaceutical industry representatives active in Belgium and involved in clinical research. Thematic analysis was undertaken using the NVivo software (Lumivero).

resultsIn total, 3 iterations of usability tests were conducted with 10 participants each. Each cycle involved some participants who reported having low digital skills. The System Usability Scale scores related to the tasks on personalization and long-term interaction increased after each iteration and reached 69.5 (SD 8.35) and 71.3 (SD 16.1) out of 100, respectively, which represents above-average usability. Semistructured interviews conducted with health care professionals (n=4), ethics committee members (n=8), and pharmaceutical industry representatives (n=5) identified the need for an eIC system that can be easily set up. For example, a library could be established enabling stakeholders to easily provide background information about a clinical study, presented in the second layer of the interface. In contrast, some functionalities, such as informing participants about new studies through an eIC system, were not considered useful by stakeholders.

conclusionsThis study provides insights for the implementation of a user-friendly personalized and long-term eIC application. The study findings showed that usability testing is key to assessing and increasing the user-friendliness of an eIC application. Although this eIC system has the potential to be usable by a wide audience, participants with low digital literacy may not be able to use it successfully, highlighting the need for additional support for participants or other alternatives to an eIC system. In addition, key lessons emerging from the interviews included ensuring that the application is easy to implement in practice and is interoperable with other established systems.

Indexed as

Health PersonnelSoftwareElectronicsHumansInformed ConsentUser-Centered Designdigital healthhuman-centered designimplementationinformed consentqualitative researchstakeholderstrial

Identifiers

PMID38113088
PMCPMC10762617

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.