A surrogate system for informed consent.

Since "informed consent" is frequently obtained in a clinical setting where the patient is anxious and overwhelmed with feelings, toward the physician, of awe, trust, and dependency, it is often of dubious value in protecting human subjects. We devised, as a possible alternative mechanism for uncovering patient views toward a specific research protocol, a surrogate system of consent. The surrogates' responses seemed more candid and diverse than the responses one usually hears in the "real" clinical setting. Potential applications of such a system lie in further study of the consent process, and as a means for individual investigators to better gauge consumer attitudes toward specific projects.