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How do parents experience being asked to enter a child in a randomised controlled trial?
Valerie Shilling1, Bridget Young
1Division of Clinical Psychology, School of Population, Community and Behavioural Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. val.shilling@liverpool.ac.uk
BMC Medical Ethics
|February 18, 2009
Summary
Parents navigating child participation in medical research often feel conflicted, balancing their desire to protect their child with the complexities of clinical trials. Understanding these parental experiences is key to improving trial recruitment processes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Clinical Trials
- Medical Ethics
- Parental Decision-Making
Background:
- Increasing number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for pediatric medicines.
- Importance of understanding parental experiences in child trial enrollment.
- Focus on qualitative research to capture parents' perspectives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review research evidence on parents' experiences during trial recruitment.
- To explore the complexities parents face when deciding on child participation in trials.
- To identify ways to improve the trial recruitment experience for parents.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of existing research.
- Emphasis on qualitative studies to gather in-depth parental views.
- Analysis of parental decision-making processes in the context of pediatric trials.
Main Results:
- Parents aim to protect their children but face challenges in the medical/research context.
- Parents value decision-making but fear making the wrong choice for their child.
- Parental risk/threat assessments may differ from expert opinions.
Conclusions:
- Parental decision-making for child participation in trials is complex.
- Effective communication and tailored discussions can support parents.
- Addressing parental complexities can improve trial recruitment and experiences.
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