title: Are patients comfortable consenting to clinical anesthesia research trials on the day of surgery?
abstract: Consent for clinical anesthesia research trials is often sought on the day of surgery when patients are most anxious and have little privacy or time for reflection. We conducted a retrospective survey of patients' perceptions and concerns regarding consent for clinical anesthesia trials on the day of surgery. Questionnaires were mailed to 175 patients who had participated in 1 of 6 negligible- or minimal-risk clinical anesthesia trials within the preceding year. Seventy-six patients responded (43%). Most patients (80%) reported that they understood the purpose of their trial, did not feel obligated (61%) or pressured (67%) to participate, and were satisfied (mean visual analog scale: 71 mm) with the recruitment and consent process on the day of surgery. Few patients (7%) believed that their well-being was put at risk because of their participation in the trial.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This retrospective survey suggests that patient recruitment and consent for negligible- or minimal-risk clinical anesthesia research trials is appropriate when performed on the day of surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brull
authors.forename: Colin J L
authors.initials: CJL
authors.lastname: McCartney
authors.forename: Vincent W S
authors.initials: VWS
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Regan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rawson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000523:psychology*; D000758:Anesthesia; D000776:Anesthesiology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D004493:Education; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D010361:Patients; D012106:Research; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires