Final answer:
Informed consent is a crucial aspect of research studies, ensuring participants understand the research, its risks, and their rights. It encompasses elements such as written description, voluntary participation, confidentiality, and consent for minors. IRBs oversee this process.
Step-by-step explanation:
Informed consent is a crucial aspect of research studies, especially those involving human subjects. It ensures that participants have a clear understanding of the research, its potential risks, and their rights. Informed consent typically includes six key elements, such as providing a written description of the study, guaranteeing voluntary participation, maintaining confidentiality of data, and obtaining consent from legal guardians for participants under 18. This process is overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to ensure ethical conduct in research.