Exploring issues of parental consent to research: a case-study approach.

In this article, a novice nurse researcher relates her personal experience of encountering a challenging situation while taking consent from the parents of a critically ill child. This critical incident raises issues for the researcher of ensuring validity of the consent process and ensuring recruitment of an unbiased sample when issues of language and culture could impede communication. The process of reflection allowed the novice researcher to gain greater insight into her responsibilities as a research nurse in relation to recruiting patients and to reflect on how she would integrate this into her future practice, thus enhancing her confidence in her role.