Other Types of Informed Consent
Obtaining Consent for Mail Surveys
Example 1 - The PI sends the subject participant a letter requesting participation. This letter is accompanied by a conventional consent form that the individual signs and returns with his/her survey or separately. If the survey is to be anonymous, the consent form is separated from the survey immediately upon opening the package.
Example 2 – The PI provides a cover letter to the survey or on the face page of the survey form. The cover letter should contain information generally found in the consent form and includes a statement such as "by answering and returning the survey form, you are providing your consent to participate." The PI annotates on the survey form that "informed consent was received."
Obtaining Consent for Telephone Surveys
For telephone surveys, the interviewer reads from a "script." The script contains a comprehensive description of the study and includes the relevant elements of informed consent in narrative from. The interviewer solicits any questions the potential subject may have and answers them. The interviewer directly asks the person if he/she agrees to participate in the survey. Finally, the PI documents on a data sheet: 1) that the script was read, 2) the individual was offered the opportunity to ask questions, and 3) the individual agreed or declined to participate in the study.
Obtaining Consent from Non-Native Speakers of English
The written consent document should embody, in the language understandable to the participant, all the elements necessary for legally effective informed consent. Participants who do not speak English should be presented with a consent document written in a language understandable to them.
Oral presentation of informed consent should be given in conjunction with a short form written consent document, stating that the elements of consent have been presented orally. A witness who is fluent in English and the language of the participant is required and the participant must be given copies of the short form consent document.
At the time of consent the short form consent document in the participant’s language should be signed by the participant and the legally authorized representative. The person obtaining consent and the witness must sign the English consent form. When the person obtaining consent is assisted by a translator, the translator may serve as a witness.
Sample Consent Template of Non-Natiave Speakers of English