Examining Informed Consent Processes for Indigenous families in Research: A Scoping Review Protocol

Examining Informed Consent Processes for Indigenous families in Research: A Scoping Review Protocol
Cindy Peltier, Lorrilee McGregor, Mia Bourque, Irina Oltean, Nancy Young
Open Science Forum, 4 April 2022
Abstract
Introduction
Though numerous research pursuits in Indigenous communities have been undertaken, very few have consistently addressed community priorities, or collaborated with Indigenous peoples throughout the research process. This scoping review protocol proposes to explore the existing wise consent processes that respect the rights of Indigenous families (parents, children), and Indigenous community protocols.
Methods and analysis
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for conducting scoping reviews will be followed closely. All primary and theoretical studies of any design written in English from January 1st 2000 to March 31st 2022 examining Indigenous approaches to obtaining informed consent among parents or families and/or children and youth, will be included. Two reviewers will independently review the literature in order to apply the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data from studies will be extracted and charted in NVivo, following the Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists, depending on the study design of each included study, and the original and modified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool (ATSI) versions, will be used to assess study quality. A narrative synthesis of the informed consent literature will be reported.
Dissemination
This scoping review will evaluate the existing informed consent processes, barriers to consent, and alternative consent processes in the literature. Results will be shared via conferences, reports and social media with our Indigenous communities, and disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication. This scoping review may prove useful to others who are investigating informed consent processes among Indigenous families in research.