Implied Consent Form

Study Title:
Understanding the status and extent of involving patients and caregivers in economic evaluations: a cross-sectional survey of health services researchers and health economists

Principal Investigator: Dr. Kednapa Thavorn; kthavorn@ohri.ca
OHSN-REB Number: 20250488-01H

INTRODUCTION

You are invited to participate in an online survey for a research study. You are being asked to participate because you were identified as someone conducting health services research involving cost studies and/or economic evaluations. This study examines experiences and perceptions of researchers regarding patient and/or public engagement in cost studies and economic evaluations.

ARE THERE ANY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST?

There are no conflicts of interest to declare related to this study.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN DURING THIS STUDY?

You will be directed to an online survey. The survey asks questions about your experiences and perceptions around patient and public engagement in cost studies and/or economic evaluations. This should take approximately 10-15 minutes of your time.

The information you provide is for research purposes only. Some of the questions are personal. You can choose not to answer questions if you wish.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL:

You do not have to be in this study if you do not want to be. You can choose to end your participation in this research (called withdrawal) at any time without having to provide a reason. If you decide to leave the study, you can ask that the information that was collected about you not be used for the study. Let the research team know if you choose this (HERO@ohri.ca).

RISKS AND/OR BENEFITS

Participation involves minimal risk to you. Some of the questions may however make you feel uncomfortable; you can choose not to answer questions that make you feel uncomfortable.

You will not receive direct benefit from participating in this study. We hope the information learned from this study will help researchers better engage with patients and members of the public when conducting economic evaluations.

PRIVACY/CONFIDENTIALITY:

Unless you choose to provide your contact details for participation in future research, the survey is anonymous which means that your answers will not be linked to you in any way. If you do provide contact information, records identifying you at this centre will be kept confidential and, to the extent permitted by the applicable laws, will not be disclosed or made publicly available, except as described in this consent document.

Authorized representatives of the following organizations may look at your original research records at the site where these records are held, to check that the information collected for the study is correct and follows proper laws and guidelines.

• The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the Sponsor of this study
• The Ottawa Health Science Network Research Ethics Board who oversees the ethical conduct of this study.
• Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, to oversee the conduct of research at this location.

Information that is collected about you for the study (called study data) may also be sent to the organizations listed above. Your name, address, email, or other information that may directly identify you will not be used.

If the results of this study are published, your identity will remain confidential. It is expected that the information collected during this study will be used in analyses and will be published/presented to the scientific community at meetings and in journals.

Your de-identified data from this study may be used for other research purposes. If your study data is shared with other researchers, information that links your study data directly to you will not be shared.

Even though the risk of identifying you from the study data is very small, it can never be completely eliminated.

COST AND/OR PAYMENT:

You will not be paid for being in this study, nor will there be any cost to you.

RIGHTS OF PARTICIPANTS

You will be told, in a timely manner, about new information that may be relevant to your willingness to stay in this study.

You have the right to be informed of the results of this study once the entire study is complete. If you would like to be informed of the results of this study, please contact the research team.

Your rights to privacy are legally protected by federal and provincial laws that require safeguards to ensure that your privacy is respected.

QUESTIONS:

If you have any questions about taking part in this study, you may contact Principal Investigator Dr. Kednapa Thavorn at kthavorn@ohri.ca, 613-737-8899 extension 72330.

If you have questions about your rights as a participant or about ethical issues related to this study, you can talk to someone who is not involved in the study at all. Please contact The Ottawa Health Science Network Research Ethics Board, Chairperson at 613-798-5555 extension 16719, or at rebadministration@toh.ca.

CONSENT

By completing this survey your consent to participate is implied.

Version date: [16/Dec/2025]

    By checking this box, your consent to participate is implied.