Informed-consent documents that are shorter and use simpler language, bigger type and graphics lead to dramatically improved understanding of risks and benefits, said a study posted online May 13 in JAMA Pediatrics, formerly Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Researchers tested various types of forms — some long and complex, some shorter and simpler, some with graphics and some without — among 640 parents of children scheduled for elective surgery. The forms were designed to deliver the traditional elements of an informed consent-document for the clinical trial of a fictional pain-relieving drug called Painaway. The parents were quizzed after going through the informed-consent process to determine whether they understood what was presented about the risks and benefits of trial participation.

My latest. Read the whole shebang.