Informed Consent: The Consumer's Guide to the Risks and Benefits of Volunteering for Clinical Trials

Informed Consent(tm) is a 300-page book designed to assist patients, their family and advocates in making more informed decisions before giving their consent to volunteer for a clinical trial and during their participation. This first-of-its-kind consumer guidebook provides comprehensive facts and objective, expert commentary to assist patients and their advocates in understanding their rights and recourse as study volunteers, what to expect when participating in a clinical trial and how research professionals conduct studies on new drug therapies.

Written by Ken Getz and Deborah Borfitz, the book has been reviewed extensively by regulatory and research professionals, patient advocates and consumers. Specific topics covered in the guide include:

- Your rights as a volunteer, and how to protect them

- A detailed review of the clinical trial process

- How to determine if a clinical trial is right for you

- How to find and evaluate clinical trials

- Special considerations for vulnerable populations including children, prisoners and the elderly

- What to do when things go wrong

- A useful and practical appendix of reference information