BACKGROUND Poor response rates can jeopardise the validity of the findings of epidemiological surveys. The aim of this study was to undertake a randomised controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of different strategies for maximizing parental consent rates for dental health surveys of young children. METHODS The trial took place within the 2007/2008 NHS Epidemiological Dental Health S...

BACKGROUND The views of primary health care providers concerning their willingness to consult with under-16-year-old adolescent patients without the presence of a parent or guardian are not well documented. Many young people believe they have to be aged over 16 years to see their general practitioner (GP) alone. Confidentiality is a major concern for young people. It is important that more is k...

This paper examines the social parameters surrounding the management a/informed consent procedures for the parents ofyoung deafchildren/or the surgical fitting ofa cochlear implant ('biO/lic ear') to their child. Although most observers of this remarkable and well publicised medical development only see benefits in its use, the authors examine the nature afthe conflict which has emerg.?d betwee...

OBJECTIVE Parents have the right to decide on behalf of their infants whether to enroll them in controlled clinical trials. We determined the degree to which such parental decisions are influenced by risk and benefit considerations compared with other factors. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. PARTICIPANTS Parents who had recently given or declined consent to one of three controlled trials in ...

BACKGROUND The informed consent procedure plays a central role in randomised controlled trials but has only been explored in a few studies on children. AIM To assess the quality of the informed consent process in a paediatric setting. METHODS A questionnaire was sent to parents who volunteered their child (230 children) for a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial of ibuprofen s...