CRU's eConsent Framework Workflow

Owned by Melissa Hall
Last updated: May 15, 2023 by Mandavi Kashyap
4 min read

In-Person eConsent

Step 1: Open the consent form instrument

When you open the participant’s consent form, there is a reminder banner that states that 'this form must be completed as a survey'. Parts of the form will be set to read-only to prevent data entry in REDCap. The consent form must be completed as a survey to use the eConsent Framework.

 

Step 2: Click the ‘Survey options’ button in the top right corner. Then click ‘Log out + Open survey’

 

The ‘Survey options’ button is greyed out if the record does not yet contain data. Click ‘Save & Stay’ will save the empty consent form so that the ‘Survey options’ button can be used.

 

Step 3: With the Survey opened, the participant can now fill out the survey. The person obtaining consent and witness (if applicable) can also fill out their sections of the form.

Click ‘Next Page >>’ at the bottom of the form

 

Remote eConsent

If Automated Survey Invitations (ASIs) are set up, the participant should automatically receive an email with a link to the eConsent survey. Click here to learn more.

 

Otherwise, follow these steps to send the eConsent form individually.
(Multiple forms can be sent at once using the Survey Distribution Tools and the Participant List.)

 

The ‘Survey options’ button is greyed out if the record does not yet contain data. Click ‘Save & Stay’ will save the empty consent form so that the ‘Survey options’ button can be used.

 

  1. Set the ‘From’ email address to be the email address for your study.

  2. Set the ‘To’ email address. If you have a designated email field set and the participant’s email address has been entered, you can select their email from the dropdown. Or, you can enter their email address in the box.

  3. Change the Subject line. (Note: do not put the study title in the email as this is not considered appropriate by the REB. It contains too much information for an insecure medium)

  4. Change the body of the email. Leave the [survey-link] and [survey-url] intact as these will be replaced with the URL for the specific participant’s survey.

You can also specify when the email will be sent, and whether the email will be resent if the participant does not respond (reminder email). When finished, click ‘Send Invitation’

 

Viewing Completed eConsent Forms

The completed eConsent forms can be seen in the participant’s record like any other form.

To find the PDF copy that is archived automatically by the eConsent Framework, follow these steps:

In REDCap, the link to the File Repository is in the lefthand menu under the Applications header. Accessing it requires the File Repository user privilege.

 

 

Sending Completed eConsent Forms

Before a participant submits their eConsent form survey, they have the opportunity to download the completed form. This option may be missed, or the participant may request a copy of their form at a later date.

 

To send a participant a copy of their completed form, use one of the following methods: