Informed consent for obstetric anesthesia research Factors that influence parturients' decisions to participate

Patients who are approached to participate in clinical studies just before delivery may have insufficient time to make an informed decision and/or may feel pressured into participation. This study was designed to examine fact ors that influence parturients to consent or decline participation in an an esthesia study related to their delivery. Parturients who had been approach ed to participate in a continuing clinical obstetric anesthesia study were subsequently given a questionnaire that documented their reasons for consen ting or declining participation. There were no demographic differences amon g the consenters (n = 166) and nonconsenters (n = 109). The most important factors in the patient's decision to consent were related to their understa nding and perceived importance of the study and the potential benefit to ot her women. Forty-one (40.6%) nonconsenters strongly considered their pain/d iscomfort a factor in declining participation. Only one patient felt some p ressure to consent, suggesting that the overall environment was noncoercive . Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that patients who read the cons ent form completely, those who had participated in a previous research stud y, and those who were less anxious about participating were more likely to consent.