Patient attitudes regarding participation in studies of antimicrobial resistance.
BACKGROUND
A number of recent studies of antimicrobial resistance have focused on the role of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens that colonize the gastrointestinal tract. However, participation rates have been low in studies that involve fecal sampling. Attitudes toward such studies among potential study participants have not been assessed.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional survey, enrolling 3 groups of inpatients from a large academic center. Group 1 consisted of patients who had previously participated in a cohort study of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli, which involved the collection of perirectal swab samples. Group 2 consisted of patients who had previously refused to participate in the study of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli. Group 3 consisted of patients who had never been asked to participate in the study of the fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli. The survey assessed patients' attitudes and beliefs regarding medical research and their willingness to consent to collection of a perirectal swab sample. Response options were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale. The Fisher exact test was used to compare dichotomized responses across study groups.


RESULTS
A total of 90 patients were surveyed: there were 29 in group 1 and in group 2 and 32 in group 3. Of 90 patients, 31 (35%) believed researchers might run additional tests on collected samples without informing the patient, whereas 25 (27%) believed persons other than the research team might gain access to study results. The belief that a person could get sicker as a result of a having a perirectal swab sample collected was significantly more common among patients who had previously refused to participate in the fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli study.


CONCLUSIONS
This study highlights important beliefs and attitudes that are associated with the likelihood of participating in studies of antimicrobial resistance. Explicitly addressing these concerns with eligible patients is critical to optimize participation in future studies.
Tolomeo
Pam
P
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6021, USA.
Wheeler
Mary
M
Metlay
Joshua P
JP
Armstrong
Katrina
K
Fishman
Neil O
NO
Bilker
Warren B
WB
Lautenbach
Ebbing
E
D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012106:Research / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D035842:Research Subjects