ComprehendUnderstand before you decide
Sarah has just been invited to a clinical trial. In the past week she has received:
- a 38-page participant information and consent form
- two appointment letters
- a pathology request
- information about parking and travel
- a list of her medications
- three different phone numbers
She wants to say yes. She just isn't sure she understands everything she is agreeing to.
What happens when she opens Comprehend
Not another system to configure. An experience that meets her where she is. Each step removes one uncertainty.
- Explain this consent form in plain EnglishWhat am I actually agreeing to?
- Read it aloud, at her own paceI don't have to face every dense page alone.
- See it in her own language, beside the originalI can understand this in my language, not only in English.
- Ask what questions she should raise with her doctorI'll walk into the appointment prepared, not blank.
- Learn what happens after she signsI know what comes next.
- Save notes for her next appointmentI won't forget the things that matter to me.
She still signs with her clinical team, in the room, as she always would. She simply arrives understanding more.
Who it is for, and what it will never do
Comprehend is for participants, and for the families and carers who sit beside them.
It helps a person comprehend trusted study information the team has already given them. It supports the clinical team and never replaces it, and it never generates new medical advice.
Why it matters
Consent given with real understanding is better consent. When information is clear, in the right language and at the right level, anxiety falls and so does the number of confused phone calls back to the site. Understanding stops depending on how well someone reads English on a difficult day. That is a matter of both safety and dignity.
Comprehend supports understanding around a trial. Health Intelligence explores continuity across a person's broader health information. They address different problems.
Where it comes from
Comprehend was not designed from the outside. It comes from five years spent as a participant in a clinical trial, by someone who has sat on the other side of the consent form and felt exactly what Sarah feels. The fuller reflection lives in Beyond the Numbers.
If you work with clinical trials, participant engagement or research, I'd welcome the opportunity to discuss whether this approach could improve the participant experience.