BMJ  2005;330:1164 (21 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7501.1164

Editorial

Participants in research

Neither guinea pigs nor sacrificial lambs, but pointers to better health care

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Patients rightly worry that they risk being sacrificed in randomised trials whose results cannot be applied by clinicians in the front lines of real clinical practice. In a recent US survey, half the public considered trial participants to be "guinea pigs." Altruistic goals such as "making a contribution to science" were judged far more likely to be achieved than personal benefits such as "getting the best possible treatment" or "having access to the best physician."¹ At the same time, many clinicians worry that the imposition of rigorous trial conditions on highly selected patients, especially in tertiary care settings, generates results that cannot be generalised to routine clinical practice.²

For the most part, these concerns originated from, and are perpetuated by, the examination of single trials or highly selective collections of them. Reports of the ghastly abuse of trial participants are sufficiently frequent and well publicised that they cause some . . . [Full text of this article]

Trout Research and Education Centre at Irish Lake, RR 1, Markdale, ON, Canada N0C 1H0 (sackett@bmts.com)

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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Clinical trial patients are protected by the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999

Desmond R. Laurence
bmj.com, 24 May 2005 [Full text]

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Bruce G Charlton
bmj.com, 24 May 2005 [Full text]

Re: Clinical trial patients are protected by the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999

Hazel Thornton
bmj.com, 26 May 2005 [Full text]

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