February 19, 2003Open Access
View Full PaperReadability Standards for Informed-Consent Forms as Compared with Actual Readability
Key Points
- This research aims to compare the readability of informed-consent forms provided by IRBs with established readability standards.
- Assessment of informed-consent forms from multiple IRBs against readability metrics.
- Analysis of federal oversight impact on readability levels.
- Informed-consent forms frequently did not meet readability standards set by IRBs.
- Better readability is associated with federal oversight in consent forms.
Abstract
IRBs commonly provide text for informed-consent forms that falls short of their own readability standards. Federal oversight is associated with better readability.