Perceptions of Pharmacy Graduate Students Toward Research Ethics Education: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Developing Country

Abstract

Despite the potential value of graduate-level research ethics training, most Middle East countries, including Jordan, do not routinely offer formal research ethics training. In students enrolled in Jordanian master’s level graduate program in pharmacy, the current study assessed: 1- differences in pre- and post-enrollment exposure to research ethics core themes, 2- whether this exposure was through a formal course or in an informal setting, and 3- student attitudes towards research ethics education and the need for integrating a dedicated research ethics course into pharmacy graduate programs. A 12-item on-line survey was developed by the authors and disseminated to a convenience sample of current and former master-level pharmacy students in Jordan. A total of 61 eligible respondents completed the survey. A minority of respondents (38%) acknowledged receiving research ethics training prior to enrollment into a postgraduate pharmacy program with nearly half (16%) describing this training as informal. In comparison, a larger percentage of the total respondents (56%) had received research ethics training during their postgraduate program enrollment, with nearly half of those (25%) indicating that this training was informal. A majority of respondents reported a strong need for integrating a formal research ethics course into postgraduate pharmacy curriculum (90%) to support their research training and thesis writing (89%). Overall, the study revealed a notable lack of research ethics education for graduate-level pharmacy students in Jordan.

Attitudes Toward Providing Open Access for Use of Biospecimens and Health Records: A Cross-Sectional Study from Jordan

“…30,31 The country is also well known in the region for its pharmaceutical industry and has several clinical research centers scattered across its cities. [7][8][9] As such, the familiarity with the "clinical research" in the country may be higher than in other countries in the region, for instance, in Lebanon, where only 45% reported recognizing the same terminology. Participation in research is an important aspect that may influence participants' decision to provide blanket consent.…”

“… 6 The country is known for its flourished pharmaceutical industry, which exports its products to more than 60 countries globally, making it the second-largest exporting industry in the country. 7–9 Moreover, Jordan hosts several clinical study centers, some of which conduct clinical trials on behalf of international pharmaceutical companies. 10 The country also has a well-established cancer biobank, the King Hussein Cancer Center Biobank, which is the first ISO-accredited cancer biobank from a diverse ethnic MENA population.…”