Paying hypertension research subjects.
BACKGROUND
Cash payments are often used to compensate subjects who participate in research. However, ethicists have argued that these payments might constitute an undue inducement.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether potential subjects agree with theoretical arguments that a payment could be an undue inducement.


METHODS
Survey of 350 prospective jurors.


METHODS
Belief that a 500 dollar payment for research participation would impair their own, and others' ability to think carefully about the risks and benefits of a clinical trial.


RESULTS
Two hundred sixty-one jurors (74.6%) believed that a 500 dollar payment would impair subjects' ability to think carefully about the risks and benefits of research. Ninety-six of 120 (80%) expressed this concern about subjects with a low income (<20,000 dollars) compared to 92/117 (79%) of those with a middle income (20,000 dollars to 50,000 dollars), and 73/113 (65%) with a high income (>50,000 dollars). In contrast, only 69 (19.7%) of jurors believed that a 500 dollar payment would influence them. Jurors who believed that this payment would influence them reported lower incomes and less education.


CONCLUSIONS
Members of the general public share ethical concerns about the influence of payments for research, although they believe that these concerns are more applicable to others than to themselves.
Casarett
David
D
Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pa, USA. Casarett@mail.med.upenn.edu
Karlawish
Jason
J
Asch
David A
DA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D026688:Bioethical Issues; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003625:Data Collection; D005249:Fees and Charges; D005260:Female; D006805:Human Experimentation; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015143:Philadelphia; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric