Informed Consent, Memory and Age

Abstract

Although young and elderly females signed appropriate informed consent documents as volunteers for research studies, most answered one or more multiple choice questions incorrectly when tested for information 2 to 3 weeks later. Further, the findings suggest that problems in insuring informed consent may be of greater significance for elderly adults with low levels of vocabulary and education. To protect the rights of these elderly individuals it may be necessary to use tests for comprehension before participation in research investigations.