Advising parents about children's participation in clinical research.

The pediatrician can assist a parent in evaluating the risks and potential benefits of clinical research, assessing the qualifications of the research team, clarifying a child's understanding of the research, and supporting the parent and child throughout the research study. To perform this role, the pediatrician should review with the parent and child (if appropriate) the consent document and any other available information about the research. If there are unanswered questions, the pediatrician should encourage a parent to contact the researcher, or offer (with the parent's permission) to contact the researchers on the parent's behalf.