Patient consent
Except in emergency situations, the potential participant must also understand exactly what the trial is about, any potential risks involved and agree to take part of their own free will. This is why patients enrolling on a trial have to sign a consent form, as you saw in the RECOVERY animation. Healthcare professionals need to be as sure as they can be that the volunteer or their representative has understood everything that has been explained to them. In this video clip, members of the public explain why they volunteered to take part in trials. Please note, they are not talking about RECOVERY.