Assessment of the Perceived Acceptability of an Early Enrollment Strategy Using Advance Consent in Health Care–Associated Pneumonia

Key Points Question Is an early enrollment strategy using advance consent for research on health care–associated pneumonia acceptable to stakeholders? Findings In this qualitative study of 52 stakeholders (patients at risk for pneumonia, caregivers, study investigators and coordinators, and representatives of institutional review boards), patients and caregivers found approaching patients and monitoring their records before they acquire pneumonia to be acceptable, indicated that patients can understand consent information before diagnosis, and described preferences for opt-out and precedent autonomy procedures. Institutional review board representatives were supportive of the strategy, and investigators and study coordinators indicated it would not be burdensome. Meaning Results of the study suggest that an early enrollment strategy is acceptable to stakeholders and should be evaluated for effectiveness in increasing enrollment in registrational clinical trials.