“Consent” means “permission” or “agreement”.
When you are asked to sign a consent form, you are asked to read through all the information on the document, become fully informed of any risks that might be involved, and confirm that you agree to the procedure.
Your agreement (consent) is indicated by your signature at the end of the document. In some (but not all) cases, electronic signatures are also accepted. You are usually asked to write down a date to show when you give your consent.
To protect yourself, keep the following in mind before signing a consent form:
- Make sure to read all the information first before signing the document;
- Do not feel shy to ask questions, if there’s anything on the form that you don’t understand;
- No entity or individual can ever force you to sign a consent form. It’s your own decision to make!
Verbal Consent:
- Verbal consent is consent given in speaking, instead of signing a written document.
- Verbal consent may happen over a phone call and may be recorded.
