Exploring Research Participants' Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Research and Informed Consent in Myanmar

Informed consent is fundamental to ethical research involving human participants; however, little is known about the public's understanding of research participants' rights in Myanmar. This multicenter cross-sectional study examined patients' perceptions of medical research, attitudes toward information disclosure during the informed consent process, and recognition of participants' rights using a structured, self-administered questionnaire completed by 284 adult patients from three hospitals. Most respondents viewed medical research positively but demonstrated varying levels of trust and understanding of ethical protections. Higher educational attainment and household expenditure were associated with more favorable perceptions. Participants strongly supported transparent informed consent procedures and comprehensive information disclosure; however, awareness of complaint mechanisms and understanding of the rights to withdraw from research and confidentiality were limited. These findings identify priorities for strengthening ethics education, investigator communication, and institutional transparency to support meaningful informed consent and sustain public trust as health research continues to expand in Myanmar.