Views on Clinical Trials

Clinical Drug Trials have had a significant role in the public health arena dating all the way back to World War II. Although not always apparent to consumers, clinical trials have exerted a strong presence in the health of many individuals today. The purpose of this practicum research project is to understand the attitudes and opinions of individuals with chronic illness, drug related injuries, who are participating in a clinical trials compared to non-participating controls, relative to the risks and benefits of pharmacological treatment and clinical trial participation. A survey method was employed to collect attitudes and opinions of subjects from North Texas Clinical Trials and individuals from the general public. This survey was designed to illustrate potential differences in the perspectives of the two groups of subjects in a quantifiable manner. These clinical trials research materials have been designed and approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) committee. Upon the completion of this study we hope gain a deeper understanding of the perception of Clinical Trials and, hopefully, this knowledge may prove to be insightful towards developing innovative methods to obtain a stronger recruitment turnout.