Public perception of participation in low-risk clinical trials in critical care using waived consent: a Canadian national survey.

Purpose: The acceptability of waiver of consent for participation in clinical research in intensive care unit (ICU) settings is uncertain. We sought to survey the Canadian public to assess levels of support, comfort, and acceptability for waived consent for low-risk clinical trials.

Methods: We performed a prospective cross-sectional survey of the Canadian public aged 18 yr or older.