By David Robinson
LITTLE ROCK — A new software tool developed at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will help researchers quickly create consent documents in plain language for their prospective study volunteers.
Called the Informed Consent Navigator, the web-based tool breaks new ground with its ability to guide researchers through the creation of plain-language informed consent forms at an eighth-grade reading level or below. The Journal of Clinical and Translational Science published the Translational Research Institute team’s work in December, drawing immediate interest from several research institutions across the United States.
“This is a big win for health equity and a big achievement for UAMS,” said co-author Mathias Brochhausen, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Medicine Department of Biomedical Informatics.
