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Table 1 Advantages and disadvantages of e-Consent

From: E-Consent—a guide to maintain recruitment in clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic

Advantages

Disadvantages

Avoids physical attendance

Patients may be unfamiliar with electronic device use—increasing the digital divide and decreasing diversity of recruitment

Requires fewer human resources

Privacy concerns if not properly set-up

Requires less physical space

Could introduce selection bias towards younger patients and those with higher education

Can be deployed to any number of devices

May decrease equitable access to trials across the socioeconomic spectrum

Allows patients to answer in a safe space

Relies on patient access to electronic devices, email, and Internet connection

Can adapt to patient-specific disabilities

 

Scalable

 

Reduces travel-associated costs and reduces carbon footprint

 

Reduces risk of contagion of infectious diseases

 

Integrated hard stops prevents missing fields

 

Increases traceability

 

Removes postage cost

 

Removes possibility of transcription errors

 

Absence of time pressure