Table 2.
Knowledge and Attitudinal Barrier Survey Items
| Survey Item | Incorrect and Unsure (%) | Percentage of Patients Agreeing |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge survey item (correct response)* | ||
| Most clinical trials involve a placebo (sugar pill). (disagree) | 75.45 | |
| Adverse effects in clinical trials are usually worse than with standard treatments. (disagree) | 65.22 | |
| “Standard treatments” are the best treatments currently known for a cancer. (agree) | 61.9 | |
| Informed consent mainly protects researchers from lawsuits. (disagree) | 59.87 | |
| Patients in clinical trials must get their care at different places from patients getting standard treatments. (disagree) | 58.74 | |
| Standard treatments are never as good as new research treatments. (disagree) | 58.22 | |
| A clinical trial is available for anyone with cancer who wants to take part. (disagree) | 56.71 | |
| The only way to find out about clinical trials is from my doctor. (disagree) | 48.11 | |
| Once I join a clinical trial, my own doctor will not know what happens to me. (disagree) | 43.69 | |
| Clinical trials are only used as a last resort. (disagree) | 36.17 | |
| Institutional review boards review and monitor clinical trials to keep patients safe. (agree) | 29.4 | |
| Randomization means that my treatment will be chosen by chance. (agree) | 28.81 | |
| Treatments used in clinical trials may cause side effects. (agree) | 26.17 | |
| My doctor can start a clinical trial without the approval of professionals who protect patient rights. (disagree) | 23.98 | |
| If I were to join a clinical trial, I could decide to stop at any time. (agree) | 17.25 | |
| Clinical trials are not appropriate for patients with cancer. (disagree) | 16.94 | |
| Clinical trials are done to improve standard treatments. (agree) | 13.67 | |
| Informed consent means that I am given information about the trial so I can freely decide whether to participate. (agree) | 4.5 | |
| It is up to me to decide whether to be in a clinical trial. (agree) | 2.37 | |
| Attitudinal Barrier survey item† | ||
| I’m afraid of the side effects I’ll have on a clinical trial. | 51.90 | |
| I'm worried that the treatment I'd receive on a clinical trial wouldn't work for me. | 41.51 | |
| I'm afraid I'll get a sugar pill (placebo) instead of real medicine on a clinical trial. | 39.29 | |
| I’m afraid that my health insurance won’t pay for a clinical trial. | 38.73 | |
| I wouldn't ask about clinical trials unless my doctor brought them up first. | 38.04 | |
| I don’t know where to find a clinical trial for me. | 32.84 | |
| I wouldn't be willing to travel extra distance to take part in a clinical trial. | 31.51 | |
| I'm worried that I wouldn't be able to afford the costs of treatment on a clinical trial. | 31.22 | |
| I'm afraid that if I take part in a clinical trial my treatment will be selected at random by a computer rather than by my doctor. | 31.13 | |
| I think clinical trials are best used for people with cancer that can’t be treated any other way. | 30.01 | |
| I don't like to try new treatments until they've been around for a while. | 28.46 | |
| I don't trust drug companies. | 24.30 | |
| I’m afraid that taking part in a clinical trial would make me sicker than I am now. | 24.09 | |
| I'm afraid I'll be used as a guinea pig if I'm in a clinical trial. | 23.45 | |
| I'm worried that going on a clinical trial would burden my family. | 20.79 | |
| I don’t know what clinical trials are. | 19.97 | |
| I'm worried I'd be treated like a number, not a person, on a clinical trial. | 19.57 | |
| I'm worried that my family wouldn't want me to go on a clinical trial. | 17.66 | |
| I think that being on a clinical trial is dangerous. | 16.48 | |
| I'm concerned that people other than my doctor would see my personal information if I was on a clinical trial. | 14.44 | |
| I'm worried that my medical care won't be as good if I join a clinical trial. | 13.53 | |
| I wouldn't be able to find transportation to get me to my clinical trial treatment center. | 11.32 | |
| I wouldn't be able to keep up with the clinical trial treatment schedule. | 9.60 | |
| I don't trust the medical system. | 8.76 | |
| I'm too upset now to think about taking part in a clinical trial. | 8.53 | |
| I don't have time to take part in a clinical trial. | 7.68 | |
| It would be too upsetting for me to be on a clinical trial. | 6.95 | |
| I don't trust doctors. | 5.03 |
*
Responses for knowledge items were agree, disagree, or unsure.
†
Responses for attitudinal barrier items were 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = somewhat disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = somewhat agree, 5 = strongly agree.