Informed Consent

Informed consent is a legal document whereby a participant agrees to voluntarily take part in a research study. An informed consent is part of a code of ethics instituted by organizations, such as universities, hospitals, and independent research firms that use human subjects for purposes of research. Informed consent is a product of the Belmont Report, a code of ethics prompted by the National Research Act of 1974. According to the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), informed consent must report voluntariness, comprehension, and disclosure of information and serves as a record of participant agreement. Informed consent must be granted prior to the use of human subjects for research purposes. This entry discusses the history of informed consent, informed consent for the study of human ...