Cognitive Testing of an Electronic Consent Platform: Researcher Perspectives

Abstract

This study focuses on feedback from domain experts to assess usability and acceptance of the E-Consent electronic consent platform. Quantitative and qualitative data were captured throughout the usability inspection, which was structured around a cognitive walkthrough with heuristics evaluation. Additional surveys measured biobanking knowledge and attitudes and familiarity with informed consent. A semi-structured qualitative interview captured open-ended feedback. 23 researchers of various ages and job titles were included for analysis. The System Usability Scale (SUS) provided a standardized reference for usability and satisfaction, and the mean result of 86.7 corresponds with an ‘above average’ usability rating in the >90th percentile. Overall, participants believe that electronic consenting using this platform will be faster than previous workflows while enhancing patient understanding, and human rapport is still a key component of the consent process. Expert review has provided valuable insight and actionable information that will be used to further enhance this maturing platform.

Feasibility of a Virtual Reality App to Promote Pulmonary Rehabilitation

“…Answer multiple-choice questions. Next, participants completed a Post-PR Education Questionnaire, an Attitudinal Survey [8], a Heuristic evaluation form [9], and a System Usability Scale (SUS) [10]. A semistructured qualitative interview was completed at the end of each study visit.…”

Patient Perspectives and Preferences for Consent in the Digital Health Context: State-of-the-art Literature Review (Preprint)

“…Improvements in user comprehension of consent notices were attributed to the overall user satisfaction with and usability of eConsent systems. These systems were described as easy to use, well organized, and more engaging [47,50,53,54,58,[80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89]. Specifically, a video eConsent system was favored in 7% (1/15) of the studies as participants felt that they could move forward through the video at their own pace, improving their understanding of what they were consenting to [82].…”

“…Specifically, a video eConsent system was favored in 7% (1/15) of the studies as participants felt that they could move forward through the video at their own pace, improving their understanding of what they were consenting to [82]. Other studies (21/31, 68%) exploring the use of different eConsent media such as web-based portals [48,53,[89][90][91], animated videos and visuals [54,79,80,88,92,93], tablet kiosks [47,81], graphic organizers and mind maps [94], and mobile apps [56,58,62,69,85,95,96] found that participants favored the customizable elements (eg, drop-down menus, buttons, links, and multimedia) of these eConsent formats as they were more engaging and improved the presentation of consent information. Among 19% (6/31) of the studies, mixed results were identified when assessing the amount of information and information elements that individuals require when reviewing consent notices.…”

Update on RFA Increasing Use of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Traditional and Community Settings NIH-Funded Trials

“…Initial patient contact is now carried out by hospital staff providing interested patients with access to an electronic consenting platform via their smartphone or tablet. 23 The entire study is conducted at participant homes after discharge from a hospital. An individualized exercise program is prescribed after remote assessment of exercise capacity using a validated telehealth system.…”

“…During the trial shutdown, the investigators refined their enrollment and follow-up procedures to ensure sufficient social distancing and participant protection from COVID-19 risks. Initial patient contact is now carried out by hospital staff providing interested patients with access to an electronic consenting platform via their smartphone or tablet 23. The entire study is conducted at participant homes after discharge from a hospital.…”