Bilingual consent form increased self-rated confidence during interpreted SACT consent among LEP adults

Description #

Beyond objective comprehension, randomisation to the bilingual English–Bengali consent form was associated with higher self-rated confidence on two Likert-type (1–5) items: confidence in knowing what to do if a friend or family member had questions about myeloma treatment (multivariate beta = 0.42, 95% CI 0.02–0.82, p = 0.04) and confidence in having understood the main points of the consent consultation (multivariate beta = 0.51, 95% CI 0.05–0.97, p = 0.03). Both remained significant after covariate adjustment (Fig. 3).

"Randomisation to the bilingual consent form was also associated with higher Likert-type scale scores (on scale 1–5) for confidence in knowing what to do if a friend or family member had questions about myeloma treatment (multivariate beta=0.42, 95% CI=0.02–0.82, p=0.04) and confidence in having understood the main points of the consent consultation (multivariate beta=0.51, 95% CI=0.05–0.97, p=0.03)" (Hibbs, 2026, p. 4)

Methods Context #

What? #ⓘ

The observable: self-rated confidence in understanding, captured on Likert-type 1–5 scales after the consent consultation.

"self-rated confidence in understanding (Comprehension Tools and outcome definitions are detailed in Supplementary Methods)." (Hibbs, 2026, p. 3)

How? #ⓘ

Participants in the simulated interpreter-mediated consent consultation were randomised to an English-only or bilingual interlinear consent form and rated confidence immediately afterward; ordinal associations were modelled with adjusted regression. See A-0011ArtifactA-0011Initial AI draftBilingual English-Bengali interlinear SACT consent formA newly created, professionally translated bilingual English–Bengali version of the nationally approved generic SACT (systemic anti-cancer therapy) consent form, used during interpreter-mediated informed-consent consulta….

"Immediately after the simulated consent consultation, participants were asked to complete the Consent Comprehension Tool." (Hibbs, 2026, p. 3)

Who? #ⓘ

Healthy Bengali-/Sylheti-speaking adults with LEP completing the simulated consent exercise (91 analysed; 45 bilingual, 46 English-only).

"Amongst 91 participants completing the simulated consent exercise" (Hibbs, 2026, p. 4)

Other Notes #

This is a subjective-confidence outcome, distinct from the objective treatment-intent comprehension EVD; both point the same direction (favouring the bilingual form). The distribution of Likert responses by arm is shown in Fig. 3.

Caveats #

• Healthy-volunteer, simulated group consent with immediate no-recall comprehension measurement The findings come from healthy volunteers rather than patients with cancer, in a simulation of only partial fidelity to real practice (participants completed consent consultations in small groups rather than individually), with comprehension and confidence measured immediately after each intervention rather than as later recall. Real cancer patients face additional psychological and cognitive demands and greater salience of treatment intent that this design cannot capture, and immediate post-test measurement may overstate durable understanding. Together these external-validity gaps limit direct extrapolation of the comprehension and confidence estimates to real interpreter-mediated oncology consent.