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ECA vs E-Document Explanation

Embodied Conversational Agent as Consent Advocate Compared to E-Consent Administration

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03381911
Enrollment
35
Registered
2017-12-22
Start date
2018-01-04
Completion date
2018-04-18
Last updated
2018-07-12

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Information Disclosure, Literacy

Brief summary

This study will investigate how consent forms and other health care documents are explained to patients. The findings will be used to create a computer program that can successfully explain consent and other health-related forms to individuals who have difficulty reading and understanding consent forms on their own as a supplement to the normal consent process done in research settings. In a prior study, the investigators delivered a similar protocol, where subjects were first consented and then given a mock consent form (administered in 1 of 3 arms: RA, ECA, or ECA + RA). Subjects in this protocol struggled with the concept of a mock consent process, especially after they had just completed a consent process for the study itself. The current protocol, using deception research methods, aims to provide a more pure assessment of ECA consent vs the standard (here, E-consent) by waiving consent and delivering the sham consent as if it were reality. In the context of a protocol that employs deception methods, participants in the current study would be invited as healthy volunteers, and be randomized to 1 of 2 different consent processes to evaluate the relative benefits of different approaches for informed consent. After the knowledge tests have been completed, subjects will undergo a debriefing where they are made fully aware of the deception and its purpose. At that time, subjects will also be given the opportunity to opt out and not have their data included in the study results.

Detailed description

Participants who call in response to the clinic flyers will first confirm eligibility criteria of age (≥21) and language (able to complete a study visit in English). Once eligibility is confirmed, participants will be scheduled to come to BMC for a single study visit that will take approximately 60-90 minutes. Randomization to one study arm or the other will occur when subject arrives for appointment. The following activities will occur at a single study visit: 1. administer sham consent (via e-consent or ECA per randomization result) 2. knowledge test 3. data collection 1. socio-demographics 2. health literacy assessment (REALM) 3. ECA satisfaction (for ECA arm subjects only) 4. Emotional connection (adapted PROMIS) (for ECA arm subjects only) 4. Debriefing 1. Describe true study aims 2. Opt out option (subject can request that their data not be used)

Interventions

The Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA) is a computer generated character that can interact with study subjects through a touch screen computer. The ECA is programmed to respond with relevant speech and body language to a subject's responses.

Sponsors

Northeastern University
CollaboratorOTHER
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CollaboratorNIH
Boston Medical Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

There are 2 study arms: ECA and E-Consent. In the ECA group subjects will have the consent form reviewed with them by the Embodied Conversational Agent character. In the E-Consent group (the standard of care), subjects will review the consent form on a computer screen with the option to have it read to them verbatim.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* English speaking * able to come in for a single study visit

Exclusion criteria

* Deaf * Blind

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Knowledge of informed consent documentimmediately following the study interviewA knowledge test will be given to assess the subjects' level of comprehension of the informed consent form

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Survey of level of satisfaction with the ECAimmediately following the study interviewFor subjects in the ECA study arm, satisfaction with the agent will be assessed
Amount of time spent on consent processimmediately following the study interviewThe amount of time that the subject spent with the consent form, assessed in both arms

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026