Consenting of the vulnerable: the informed consent procedure in advanced cancer patients in Mexico

Verástegui, Emma L

doi:10.1186/1472-6939-7-13

BMC Medical Ethics

Table 2 Patients' Perceptions about the Informed Consent

From: Consenting of the vulnerable: the informed consent procedure in advanced cancer patients in Mexico

Question	Number	%
Who invited you to participate in the clinical trial?
My treating physician	30	86
A "new" doctor	4	11
A resident	1	3
Were you asked to read and sign an informed consent?
Yes	35	100
No	0	0
Do you know what a consent form is?
A document part of the protocol	23	65
A document that I have to sign before I can be admitted to the study	10	29
An explanation of the treatment	2	6
Do you know why you were asked to sign the informed consent?
To protect your rights as a patient	0	0
Because it is a new treatment and can have unwanted effects	8	23
To free the Institution and the doctors of any responsibility in case something bad happens	10	29
To have access to free treatment	16	46
Did you read the document?
Yes	20	57
No	15	43
If not explain why?
I don't know how to read	11	31
The doctor's explanation was enough	9	26
If yes
Once	8	23
More than once	7	20
At home	7	20
At the hospital	8	23
By myself	2	6
With my family	11	31
After reading the documented, your understanding about the study improved?
Yes	9	26
No	6	17
Do you have any comments about the document?
The document is too long	23	66
The document is difficult to understand	17	49
I could not understand it	17	49
I got bored and did not read it completely	10	29
The doctor explained it to me and i did not read it	11	31
It is a waste of time	12	34
If i don't get into the "protocol, i won't receive any treatment	16	46
I did not understood many of the words	17	49
Why did you decide to participate?
To help others	0	0
Because the treatment will help me	30	86
To get better	30	86
To increase the knowledge about my disease	0	0
Because I don't have money to have any other treatment	21	60
Because my Doctor asked me and he knows what is good for me	25	71
Because someone in my family told me	5	14
Because the treatment was free	21	60
I don't know	3	8

A selection of the relevant questions and answers given by the patients are shown (the complete questionnaires are shown in the appendix). The patients and a family member were provided with the questionnaire. It was answered in a quiet room; although study personnel were not present in the room at the time, staff members were available outside to answer questions. When required, the questionnaire was read to the illiterate patients involved in the research study; otherwise, the patient's family member read out the questions and checked off the selected answer.
Some patients, provided answers not present in the questionnaire.

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ISSN: 1472-6939

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