Attitudes towards clinical research amongst participants and nonparticipants

Abstract

Results. Altruistic motives of physicians to conduct medical research were highly rated. Attitudes towards clinical research were positive in all groups, with nonparticipant respondents being the least positive. Eight to nine tenths found scienti®c testing necessary before general health service implementation. Trial participants were, as compared with nonparticipating respondents, more positive towards both participation of self and others. Both personal and altruistic motives for participation were highly rated. Primary reasons for nonparticipation were fear of`the unknown' and/or unease with randomization. Only a minority felt a moral problem created by declining trial participation. Respondents amongst noncancer participants were more satis®ed with the information given than both cancer participants and cancer nonparticipants. Negative experiences in cancer participants generally dealt with frustration related to seeing too many physicians at check-up appointments. Conclusion. Attitudes towards clinical research are generally positive even in cancer nonparticipants. Both personal and altruistic motives for participation were highly rated. A fear of`the unknown' and resentments towards randomization were primary reasons to renounce participation. Seeing too many physicians at check-up appointments seems to be an important factor for negative experiences in cancer trial participants.

Participating in a cancer clinical trial? The balancing of options in the loneliness of autonomy: A grounded theory interview study

“…Consent to be interviewed was obtained from patients who agreed to participate in a questionnaire-study exploring attitudes towards and experiences with clinical trials [18]. The survey fulfilled the demands of Danish law and the Helsinki Declaration IV, and was approved by the relevant regional Research Ethics Committees (reg.…”

“…All patients found eligible to participate in the clinical cancer trials were also eligible to participate in a questionnaire study, and only six of the approached patients in our full complex of questionnaire-studies declined to participate [17,18]. Patients accepting to complete questionnaires were asked whether we could contact them at the end of the treatment to set up an interview.…”

“…During the early analysis we observed that the number and perceived experience of physicians at check-up appointments were important. This was already noted in preceding questionnaire studies also including cancer patients and non-cancer patients [17,18], and we therefore decided to include also ovarian cancer patients from a questionnaire/interview study at the Oncological satellite centre at Sonderborg Hospital (unpublished) in the analysis. This small centre had only two oncologists attached in contrast to the university hospitals where a larger number of physicians treated the patients.…”

“…All interviewees had previously participated in questionnairestudies [18]. Our objective was to explore a broader description and understanding of the meanings assigned to patients?…”

Clinical Trials Perception in Rheumatology Patients: Experience from a Single Rheumatology Tertiary Center

“…If the willingness to participate in clinical research is defined as an illness coping behaviour weighted by patients own beliefs for and against the trial, the conclusion might be that patients are quite predictable in their decision to take part in research, as observed by Verheggen at al., 1998 (12). However, there is a recognised variety of psychological factors involved in every individual decision related to participation in clinical research activities, such as: personal benefits from participation in a trial, altruistic and non-altruistic motives, what do patients perceive as disadvantages of clinical research and effects of the trial medication, and previous experience of clinical research (13,14).…”