Introduction:
Guidelines rely on evidence-based data, and clinical research is key to providing this evidence-base. Yet the factors that influence a patient’s decision to participate (or not) in research remain poorly documented. We aimed to investigate the factors that determine the decision to accept or decline clinical trial participation, using a qualitative approach.
Methods:
Single-centre, qualitative study using semi-directive interviews with patients (pts) who had been invited to participate in a randomized clinical trial and who had given their decision. Both pts who refused and pts who accepted were included. There were no inclusion criteria; all pts who met the inclusion criteria of the selected trial and had been approached for consent were eligible. Pts also completed a questionnaire rating 16 statements examining reasons for accepting or declining trial entry. Verbatim from the interviews were analysed using a grounded theory (GT) approach.
Results:
To date, 14 patients have been interviewed; average age 75±7 years. Two pts did not know if they were currently participating in a trial or not; 1 said he was not participating although he had provided consent. From a GT perspective, the main concern of patients does not appear to be the question of research participation, but rather the fact of being sick, and their overriding preoccupation is how to return to their previous state of wellbeing and overcome the current acute episode. Regarding the decision to participate in research, the main themes that arose were: (1) the positive value of the trial for the patient (benefitting from the intervention; interest in receiving closer and/or more regular follow-up due to trial participation), although some pts clearly do not understand the concept of randomization; (2) the level of engagement in the process of care (some pts do not bother to read the information given to them, but just accept what is proposed without question, while others decline immediately without reading trial information). Two dimensions emerge, namely physical and emotional health, with a spectrum ranging from fragile to robust. Where the patient is situated on this spectrum appears to influence their attitude towards research participation.
Conclusions:
The decision to participate (or not) in clinical research appears to be more related to the patient’s general behaviour and attitude when sick, rather than any specific trial-related constraints or advantages. The level of comprehension of pts who have been through the consent process casts a doubt on the “informed” character of the consent.