Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Neonatology
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1490274

Parental Attitudes and Perceptions Towards the Recruitment of Children to Clinical Trials: A Cross-sectional Survey

Provisionally accepted
Ibrahim F. Safra Ibrahim F. Safra 1Shaikha Alnaimi Shaikha Alnaimi 1*Gehad I. Gad Gehad I. Gad 2Aliamma Abraham Aliamma Abraham 1Ahmad Al Hammadi Ahmad Al Hammadi 3Mohammad A. Bayoumi Mohammad A. Bayoumi 1*Fawziya Alyafai Fawziya Alyafai 1Ashraf Gad Ashraf Gad 1
  • 1 Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
  • 2 Brooklyn College (CUNY), Brooklyn, New York, United States
  • 3 Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Clinical trials (CTs) in children are critical for understanding and treating childhood diseases.However, CTs on children require prior permission from parents. We evaluated the parental attitudes and perceptions regarding the recruitment of their children in CTs.We used a cross-sectional survey questionnaire targeting parents of children admitted to the neonatal and pediatric departments in two tertiary hospitals in Qatar. The survey was administered by investigators and was composed of two domains to assess the knowledge and attitude of parents regarding children's recruitment in CT, in addition to the participant's demographics domain.Of the 167 questionnaires offered to parents, we received a total of 138 responses, resulting in a response rate of 82.6%, with the majority being women (72%). Many parents (75%) expressed willingness to recruit their children for CTs. However, 66% opposed new experimental treatments for their child, while 41% agreed to new treatments if they had previously been used in the medical field. Logistic regression analysis revealed key predictors influencing parents' decisions to participate in CTs, including having a newborn (aOR = 17.651, p<0.001), families with five or more members (aOR = 3.293, p=0.012), collecting blood samples (aOR = 8.602, p=0.003), performing additional tests on collected samples (aOR = 4.115, p=0.046), belief in helping others (aOR = 8.744, p=0.002), and the option of home therapy (aOR = 7.090, p=0.004).Many parents are open to enrolling their children in CTs, particularly when treatments have been previously used. Factors like having a newborn, large family size, blood collection, additional tests, and home therapy influence their decisions. Clear communication can enhance recruitment in pediatric trials.

    Keywords: Neonatology, Pediatrics, clinical trials, Parental attitude, Cross-sectional survey

    Received: 02 Sep 2024; Accepted: 28 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Safra, Alnaimi, Gad, Abraham, Al Hammadi, Bayoumi, Alyafai and Gad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Shaikha Alnaimi, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
    Mohammad A. Bayoumi, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.