Development and validation of a stakeholder-driven, self-contained electronic informed consent platform for trio-based genomic research studies

Abstract

Increasingly long and complex informed consents have yielded studies demonstrating comparatively low participant comprehension and satisfaction with traditional face-to-face approaches. In parallel, interest in electronic consents for clinical and research genomics has steadily increased, yet limited data are available for trio-based genomic discovery studies. We describe the design, development, implementation, and validation of an electronic iConsent application for trio-based genomic research deployed to support genomic studies of cerebral palsy. iConsent development incorporated stakeholder perspectives including researchers, patient advocates, institutional review board members, and genomic data-sharing considerations. The iConsent platform integrated principles derived from prior electronic consenting research and elements of multimedia learning theory. Participant comprehension was assessed in an interactive teachback format. The iConsent application achieved nine of ten proposed desiderata for effective patient-focused electronic consenting for genomic research. Overall, participants demonstrated high comprehension and retention of key human subjects considerations. Enrollees reported high levels of satisfaction with the iConsent, and we found that participant comprehension, iConsent clarity, privacy protections, and study goal explanations were associated with overall satisfaction. Although opportunities exist to optimize iConsent, we show that such an approach is feasible, can satisfy multiple stakeholder requirements, and can realize high participant satisfaction and comprehension while increasing study reach.