RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS' BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS CLINICAL RESEARCH STUDIES

Purpose: To assess former and current patients' beliefs and attitudes towards clinical research to determine if it correlates with the likelihood the patient would participate in a future clinical research study. To assess former and current patients' beliefs and attitudes towards recommending to others to participate in clinical research. To identify what factors encouraged or discouraged the patient from future research study participation, and methods in which to improve the likelihood of joining a clinical research study. To determine if former research study participants show interest in using the Internet to gather information regarding clinical research studies. To obtain demographic data in order to determine if there is a more concise plan for patient recruitment. Methods: A survey was created that could be distributed in person or over the telephone. The research population of TPCCC with available phone numbers and who were not immediately screen failed were offered the opportunity to complete the surveys. The data was taken and multiple variable chi square tests were performed for each question and compared with demographics such as age, race, and gender to address the project aims. Results: With zip codes and ethnicity having a limited impact, the strongest correlations came from age and gender vs. why the participant joined, why they would participate again, and their level of interest in finding alternative ways to learn about research. Patients who have not used the Internet to locate research studies but who had an interest in future research participation showed an extremely strong interest in finding information through the internet. Patients who had no complaints and were inclined to participate in the future were also highly likely to share their experiences with potential patients. Conclusions: The results showed that the majority of former and current patients are willing to participate in future clinical studies, are more likely to recommend others towards participating, and are interested in learning what the Internet has to offer in terms of providing information about clinical research studies.