Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition
Published on: September 20, 2019
Pediatric drug-trial recruitment: enticement without coercion
Carl L Tishler1, Natalie Staats Reiss
1Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, 1776 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43203, USA. tishler.1@osu.edu
Insights
Recruiting children for clinical trials remains challenging due to limited infrastructure and inconsistent payment practices. Addressing these barriers is crucial for advancing pediatric medication research and ensuring patient safety.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric clinical pharmacology
- Clinical trial management
- Health services research
Background:
- Limited data exist on medication effectiveness and safety in children despite federal initiatives.
- Participant recruitment is a significant barrier to conducting pediatric clinical trials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize challenges in pediatric clinical trial recruitment.
- To analyze current practices in pediatric participant compensation.
- To provide recommendations for improving recruitment and retention.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recruitment challenges in pediatric trials.
- Database searches (Centerwatch.com, ClinicalTrials.gov) for compensation data.
- Analysis of current payment and incentive practices.
Main Results:
- Key recruitment barriers include inadequate research infrastructure and inconsistent use of payments/incentives.
- Current practices for compensating pediatric trial participants lack standardization.
- Data on compensation practices were gathered from specialized databases.
Conclusions:
- Standardizing payment and incentive structures is essential for effective pediatric clinical trial recruitment.
- Addressing infrastructure gaps and clarifying compensation policies can improve participant retention.
- Recommendations are provided to overcome recruitment hurdles in pediatric research.
Abstract:
Despite federal initiatives to increase research and expand data about the effectiveness and safety of medications in children, data are still limited for this population. One of the most salient barriers to conducting pediatric clinical trials involves participant recruitment. In this article, we summarize recruitment challenges including a lack of research infrastructure, the need to properly define appropriate use of incentives and payments, and inconsistencies in the current use of payments and incentives. We also searched the Centerwatch.com and ClinicalTrials.gov databases for updated data on current practices in pediatric participant compensation/payment. We provide recommendations for tackling current barriers to recruiting and retaining children and families in clinical trials.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption
Clinical Trials: Overview
Drug Dosing: Infants and Children

