Peer-reviewed article
Can a comic help children and their parents make an informed decision about participating in clinical research? An embedded randomised controlled trial.
Kearns C, Hatter L, Dickinson E, Krishnamoorthy S, Oldfield K et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested whether a comic-format information sheet could help children aged 5-15 and their parents understand and make decisions about joining a clinical trial. Both the comic version and standard information sheets resulted in similar levels of comprehension, but children and parents strongly preferred the comic format. The comic version also helped most parents explain the trial to their children, without affecting how long the consent process took.
Key points
- 104 parents and 104 children participated in a randomised trial comparing comic-enhanced versus standard participant information materials
- No significant difference in comprehension between comic and standard groups for either parents or children
- 77% of children and 56% of parents preferred the comic-enhanced resource
- 74-100% of parents felt the comic helped them explain the study to their child
- No significant difference in study progression or consent duration between groups
Limitations
The document does not specify which country or countries the trial was conducted in, making it unclear whether findings apply to specific contexts. The study measures comprehension and preference but does not assess whether better-understood information actually changes children's or parents' decision-making about trial participation.
Abstract
We investigated whether a comic-enhanced participant information sheet could help parents and children make an informed decision about participating in a clinical trial. A comic was designed to summarise key information. Parents of children aged 5 to 15 years were randomised to receive either comic-enhanced or standard participant information materials, then their comprehension of key trial details was assessed using modified versions of the Quality of Informed Consent score (parents) and Deaconess Informed Consent Comprehension Test (children). Study progression, duration of the consent process, and preferences for information materials were recorded. 104 parents and 104 children participated. There was no significant difference in comprehension of key trial details between groups receiving the comic-enhanced and standard information resource, evidencing comparable understanding. The majority of children (77%) and over half of parents (56%) preferred the comic-enhanced resource. Most parents (74-100%) felt the comic-enhanced resource helped them explain the CARE study to their child(ren). There was no significant difference in study progression or consent duration between groups. This research supports the use of comics in medical information materials for parents and children, which facilitated comparable understanding, but were preferred by children aged 5-15 years, and helped most parents discuss study participation with their child.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Comic-enhanced participant information sheet summarising key trial details
- Population
- Parents of children aged 5-15 years and their children participating in a clinical trial
Key finding
No significant difference in comprehension of key trial details between comic-enhanced and standard information groups
C et al. · Europe PMC · 10 Sept 2026