IS INFORMED CONSENT UNDERSTOOD BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH? A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

BACKGROUND. Informed Consent (IC) is one of the requirements of human subjects research to guarantee respect for people and their autonomous and informed decisions. Its purpose is to inform research participants of the relevant aspects of the study to ensure voluntary participation. AIM. To identify, in light of empirical research, whether university students understand the information contained in the document of IC to ensure their voluntary and informed participation in research. METHODOLOGY. Narrative literature review using Web of Science (WOS) and PubMed databases, with search terms such as coercion, comprehension, empiric research, ethical issues, ethical research, students, human subjects, informed consent, students as research participants, and vulnerable population, in October 2023. RESULTS. 8 articles were selected. The results showed that students do not read the IC document or do not understand its contents, even though they agree to participate in the research. This is evident based on the incomplete or incorrect answers to questions related to content of the IC, and the time that students took to read the document before signing it, agreeing to participate in the study. CONCLUSIONS. University students often agree to participate in research without reading or understanding the IC. There is little evidence from empirical research on this topic. Although possible variables that can be associated with this behavior have been raised, it is necessary to conduct studies to discover why students agree to participate in a study even when they do not read or understand the IC. Some recommendations are proposed to resolve this question based on the evidence found.