Perspectives of ICU Patients on Deferred Consent in the Context of Post-ICU Quality of Life: A Substudy of a Randomized Clinical Trial*

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Deferred consent enables research to be conducted in the ICU when patients are unable to provide consent themselves, and there is insufficient time to obtain consent from surrogates before commencing (trial) treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate how former ICU patients reflect on their participation in a study with deferred consent and examine whether their opinions are influenced by the quality of life (QoL) following hospital discharge. DESIGN: Survey study by questionnaire. SETTING: Eight ICUs in The Netherlands. PATIENTS: Former ICU patients who participated in the ICONIC trial, a multicenter randomized clinical trial that evaluated oxygenation targets in mechanically ventilated ICU patients. INTERVENTIONS: Participants enrolled in the ICONIC trial in one of the eight participating centers in The Netherlands received a questionnaire 6 months after randomization. The questionnaire included 12 close-ended questions on their opinion about the deferred consent procedure. QoL was measured using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. By calculating the EQ-5D index, patients were divided into four QoL quartiles, where Q1 reflects the lowest and Q4 is the highest. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 362 participants who were contacted, 197 responded (54%). More than half of the respondents (59%) were unaware of their participation in the ICONIC study. In total 61% were content with the deferred consent procedure, 1% were not content, 25% neutral, 9% did not know, and 9% answered “other.” Those with a higher QoL were more likely to be content (p = 0.02). In all QoL groups, the legal representative was the most often preferred individual to provide consent. CONCLUSIONS: Former ICU patients who participated in the ICONIC study often did not remember their participation but were predominantly positive regarding the use of deferred consent. Those with a higher QoL were most likely to be content.