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What motivates British parents to consent for research? A questionnaire study

Helen M Sammons1, Maria Atkinson, Imti Choonara

  • 1Academic Division of Child Health, University of Nottingham, The Medical School, Derbyshire Children's Hospital, Uttoxeter Road Derby, DE22 3DT, UK. helen.sammons@nottingham.ac.uk

BMC Pediatrics
|March 14, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Parents primarily consent to pediatric clinical trials to advance medical knowledge for future children. Most parents felt adequately informed and would participate in future research, valuing potential benefits to their own child and society.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Clinical Trials
  • Informed Consent in Research
  • Parental Decision-Making

Background:

  • Informed consent is crucial in pediatric clinical trials, with parental permission required.
  • Limited data exists on UK parents' views regarding infant and young child participation in clinical trials.
  • Understanding parental motivations and decision factors is essential for trial recruitment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore parental motivations for consenting to randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in children.
  • To assess parental perceptions of consent processes and trial participation.
  • To identify factors influencing parental decisions for future study involvement.

Main Methods:

  • A postal questionnaire was administered to parents following their child's participation in a multi-center, non-blinded RCT (PIVOT Study).
  • The study involved children aged 6 months to 16 years with community-acquired pneumonia.
  • Statistical analysis included Fisher's Exact Test for categorical data.

Main Results:

  • A 59% response rate (136/235) was achieved for the parent questionnaires.
  • Most parents recalled consenting (98%), felt adequately informed (96%), and had sufficient time (95%).
  • Key motivations included future benefit to children (31%), contribution to science (27%), and benefit to their own child (18%).

Conclusions:

  • The primary driver for parental consent in pediatric RCTs is the advancement of future medical knowledge.
  • Parents generally perceived advantages to trial participation and did not feel coerced.
  • A high percentage of parents (91%) indicated willingness to participate in similar future studies.
Abstract

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