HEARTS Pilot Study – Final 2026

INFORMED CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH

Healthcare Empathic Aptitude and Reflective Transpersonal Scale (HEARTS) Study

Introduction

You are invited to take part in a research study. This document explains what the study involves so you can decide whether you want to participate. Please read it carefully before deciding.

The principal investigator is Dr. Bruce McKenzie, Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at Wayland Baptist University. Dr. Alex Casteel serves as methodological consultant on this project.

The study evaluates a new survey instrument designed to measure how healthcare providers think, feel, and act when caring for patients, and how those attitudes and behaviors relate to healthcare delivery and patient care experiences. The instrument is grounded in the work of two foundational scholars, Dr. Jean Watson (Theory of Human Caring) and Dr. David Blustein (Psychology of Working Framework), both of whom reviewed the items before this study began.

Who can take part in this study

You may participate if you are:

• A licensed or credentialed healthcare provider consistent with federal healthcare workforce designations recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This includes physicians (MD/DO), podiatrists, dentists, optometrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, registered nurses, clinical social workers, physician assistants, providers recognized by the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, or the Indian Health Service, Christian Science practitioners, and other providers authorized to diagnose and treat physical or mental health conditions.

• Currently practicing in a patient care role in the United States

• At least 18 years of age

• Able to read and understand English

You may not participate if you:

• Are not a licensed or credentialed healthcare provider as described above

• Are not currently practicing in a patient care role

• Are younger than 18 years of age

• Practice outside the United States

• Are currently employed by Wayland Baptist University

What you will be asked to do

What: Complete 51 survey items rated on a 5-point frequency scale describing your professional attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors as a healthcare provider. The survey also includes two brief quality-check items used to identify inattentive responding, and a set of voluntary demographic questions covering provider role, years of experience, work setting, clinical specialty, average weekly hours in patient care, and highest level of education.

Where: On your own phone, computer, or tablet, through the anonymous survey link in the recruitment announcement.

How long: Approximately 15–20 minutes.

When: The survey will be open for approximately 15 weeks beginning on the date of IRB approval, or until the target sample is reached, whichever occurs first.

Your participation is voluntary

Participation is completely voluntary. You may decline without any penalty. You may stop at any time by closing your browser window, and partial responses will not be analyzed. You may skip any survey item you prefer not to answer, with the exception of the two quality-check items, which must be answered in order to continue.

Because responses are anonymous, data that has already been submitted cannot be located or withdrawn.

Risks and discomforts

This study involves no more than minimal risk. Some items ask you to reflect on demanding aspects of clinical practice, including moral distress, psychological distress, and compassion fatigue. These items may prompt brief self-reflection or mild discomfort. You may skip any item that causes discomfort and may stop at any time.

If reflecting on these topics raises concerns you would like to discuss, your employer's Employee Assistance Program is a confidential place to begin.

Benefits

You will receive no direct personal benefit from participating. The study may contribute to research on healthcare delivery quality, provider self-reflection, and the development of a measurement instrument that supports future research, professional development, and organizational quality improvement.

Compensation

You will not be paid or otherwise compensated for participating.

Privacy, anonymity, and data security

Can my responses be linked back to me? No. The survey is fully anonymous.

What identifying information is collected? None. No names, addresses, email addresses, IP addresses, or other identifiers are collected. The survey platform is configured to suppress IP address collection, and no research ID codes are assigned. Voluntary demographic responses are collected in aggregate and cannot be linked to individual survey responses. No combination of demographic responses will be reported in a way that could identify any individual participant.

Where is my data stored? Responses are collected and will be held by the online survey platform, SurveyMonkey, used to administer this study during the collection period, under that vendor's security controls. At the close of collection, the research team downloads the dataset and stores it on password-protected, encrypted systems accessible only to the named research team. You may wish to review the platform's privacy policy before participating.

Who has access? Only Dr. Bruce McKenzie, as Principal Investigator, will have access to participant data. Dr. Casteel, serving as an external methodological consultant and co-author, will not have access to raw, de-identified, or individual-level data. Dr. Casteel's contributions are limited to instrument development, psychometric methodology consultation, and manuscript co-authorship using aggregate summary statistics only.

How long is data kept? Data will be retained for five years from the date of download, then permanently and securely destroyed, including encrypted files and passwords.

Will artificial intelligence software be used? Yes. Artificial intelligence (AI) software may be used as a research-assistance tool to support the organization, processing, and analysis of de-identified study data. AI will not be used to make decisions about individual participants. No names, email addresses, IP addresses, or other direct personal identifiers are collected as part of this study.

How the findings will be reported

Findings will be reported only in aggregate form and may be presented at professional conferences or submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. No individual participant will be identifiable in any report or publication.

Future research

Your anonymous responses may be used in future research related to the continued validation of the HEARTS instrument. Because responses are anonymous, you will not be contacted again for additional consent.

For California residents

Residents of California have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information is collected and how it is used, the right to request deletion of personal information subject to certain exceptions, the right to opt out of the sale of personal information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. Further information is available at https://www.oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa

Questions

Questions about this research study or your participation may be directed to Dr. Bruce McKenzie at bruce.mckenzie@wayland.wbu.edu.

Questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant may be directed to the Wayland Baptist University Vice President of Academic Affairs at 806-291-3410.

Statement of consent

By selecting an option below, you confirm the following:

• You have had the opportunity to read and consider this consent form and to ask questions about the study.

• You have had enough time to decide whether you want to participate.

• You have read and understand the terms described above.

• You understand that participation is voluntary and that you may stop at any time without penalty.

• You understand that because responses are anonymous, submitted data cannot be withdrawn.

• You are at least 18 years of age.

Because this survey is anonymous, no signature is collected. Your selection below serves as your consent record.