Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Pandemics of new and emerging infectious diseases are unpredictable, recurrent events that rapidly threaten global health and security. We aimed to identify public views regarding provision of information and consent to participate in primary and critical care clinical research during a future influenza-like illness pandemic.Methods
Descriptive-interpretive qualitative study, using focus groups (n = 10) and semi-structured interviews (n = 16), with 80 members of the public (>18 years) in Belgium, Spain, Poland and the UK. Local qualitative researchers followed a scenario-based topic guide to collect data. Data were transcribed verbatim, translated into English and subject to framework analysis.Results
Public understandings of pandemics were shaped by personal factors (illness during the previous H1N1 pandemic, experience of life-threatening illness) and social factors (historical references, media, public health information). Informants appreciated safeguards provided by ethically robust research procedures, but current enrolment procedures were seen as a barrier. They proposed simplified enrolment processes for higher risk research and consent waiver for certain types of low-risk research. Decision making about research participation was influenced by contextual, research and personal factors. Informants generally either carefully weighed up various approaches to research participation or responded instinctively. They supported the principle of using routinely collected, anonymized clinical biological samples for research without explicit consent, but regarded this as less acceptable if researchers were motivated primarily by commercial gain.Conclusions
This bottom-up approach to ascertaining public views on pandemic clinical research has identified support for more proportionate research protection procedures for publically funded, low-risk studies.
SUBMITTER: Gobat NH
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5750735 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Gobat Nina H NH Gal Micaela M Butler Christopher C CC Webb Steve A R SAR Francis Nicholas A NA Stanton Helen H Anthierens Sibyl S Bastiaens Hilde H Godycki-Ćwirko Maciek M Kowalczyk Anna A Pons-Vigués Mariona M Pujol-Ribera Enriqueta E Berenguera Anna A Watkins Angela A Sukumar Prasanth P Moore Ronald G RG Hood Kerenza K Nichol Alistair A
Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy 20170927 1
<h4>Background</h4>Pandemics of new and emerging infectious diseases are unpredictable, recurrent events that rapidly threaten global health and security. We aimed to identify public views regarding provision of information and consent to participate in primary and critical care clinical research during a future influenza-like illness pandemic.<h4>Methods</h4>Descriptive-interpretive qualitative study, using focus groups (n = 10) and semi-structured interviews (n = 16), with 80 members of the pu ...[more]