Table 4.
Factors preventing clinical trial participation, by specialty and current participation in clinical research*
| Factor | Specialty | Clinical Research Participation | ||
| Gastroenterology (n = 160) | Hepatology (n = 189) | Clinical Researchers (n = 221) | Non-Clinical Researchers (n = 163) | |
| Increasing complexity of trials | 12 (8.1) | 10 (5.4) | 10 (4.7) | 13 (8.4) |
| Excessive trial costs not covered by the trial sponsor | 76 (50.7) | 98 (52.7) | 115 (54.5)† | 73 (46.5) |
| Complexity of Institutional Review Board requirements | 20 (13.3) | 10 (5.4) | 18 (8.5) | 15 (9.6) |
| Inferior trial medication(s) compared to standard therapy | 65 (43.3) | 86 (46.0) | 115 (54.0)† | 54 (34.6) |
| Lack of specialized support staff | 50 (32.9) | 71 (38.0) | 52 (24.4)† | 80 (50.6) |
| Concern about sponsor control of trial decision-making, data, publication, etc | 22 (14.8) | 37 (19.9) | 54 (25.6)† | 18 (11.5) |
| Too busy with clinical practice commitments | 37 (24.3) | 46 (24.7) | 14 (6.6)† | 74 (46.8) |
| Ethical considerations | 41 (27.2) | 45 (24.1) | 70 (32.9)† | 26 (16.6) |
| Difficulty in accessing the appropriate patient population | 15 (9.9) | 18 (9.6) | 25 (11.7)† | 13 (8.3) |
| Not interested in participating in sponsored clinical research | 14 (9.4)† | 22 (11.9) | 7 (3.3)† | 32 (20.5) |
* Values are expressed as number (percentage) responding "completely prevents me [from participating]."
† P ≤ .05 for the comparison between specialties or between clinical and non-clinical researchers.