Awareness and willingness to participate in clinical trials in Togo

Abstract

Context: Clinical Trials (CTs) are the key when it comes to informing clinical decision-making processes. There is a very low number of CTs conducted in Togo, and there is no study that assessed the willingness of Togolese to participate in CTs. Aims: The aim of this study was to assess public awareness and willingness to participate in CTs in Togo. Subjects and Methods: We designed a cross-sectional study, using an online survey with Google Form in the general population, carried out from December 2019 to March 2020. Statistical Analysis Used: An Excel sheet was generated from the Google Form, and we performed a descriptive analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 21. All variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. Results: This study involved 210 participants. The findings of this study are showing that Togolese are reasonably aware about CTs, and they have a positive intention to participate, but they are ignorant of national CTs regulations. Although unawareness and unwillingness may be universally common, one challenge in Togo is the lack of communication. Conclusions: The findings of this study are encouraging. The National Bioethics Committee for Health needs to be better communicative, and providing training in clinical research is essential.