title: The extent of written trial information: preferences among potential and actual trial subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the preferred extent of written information in clinical trials among potential and actual trial participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire survey among citizens of Copenhagen County (PUB, N=508), patients attending an out-patient clinic (OPC, N=200), and finally among participants in two clinical trials (ROC, N=32; MRCRUC, N=47--see Abbreviations). Questions concerned attitudes to and preferences towards a relatively short ("short form") and a more detailed information form ("long form") about a hypothetical, but realistic trial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 1/8 of the respondents in PUB were satisfied with the "short form", whereas this was the case for approximately 1/6 of outpatients and 1/5 of actual trial participants. Regarding the "long form" approximately three quarters of respondents in all groups were satisfied. Outpatients as a whole were satisfied to a larger extent that respondents from the PUB trial concerning the "short form" (p=0.04). The "long form" was preferred by a little less than 4/5 of respondents in all groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Written information to trial subjects should be detailed, as a majority of both potential and actual research participants prefers this, given the choice between two information forms of different extent on the same trial.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riis
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D032962:Consent Forms / Q000592:standards*; D003718:Denmark; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011639:Public Opinion; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D035842:Research Subjects / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires