Research Participants' Views on the Ethics of Clinical Research

This pilot study will explore the usefulness of a series of questions asking about views of research from the perspective of minority and economically disadvantaged research participants. Racial and ethnic minorities are consistently under-represented in clinical research. This under-representation has been attributed primarily to an unwillingness to participate in research because of mistrust in the research establishment, especially in light of widely known historical examples of abuse. However, more recent data suggests that not being invited to participate in research, or stringent entry criteria, may contribute substantially to the low numbers of ethnic minority research participants. The perspectives of racial and ethnic minorities who are knowledgeable about or participating in research are important to understanding the kinds of vulnerabilities that exist and any important barriers to participation.

People 18 years of age and older from the Cardozo clinic in Washington, D.C., who are enrolled in the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Studies' natural history study are eligible to participate in this protocol.

Participants are interviewed with questions about their own experiences in clinical research as well as some hypothetical research studies. Questions include participants' general views of clinical research, perceived risks and benefits of research, alternatives to research participation, the limits of what they would be willing to accept in research and types of research or research procedures they might perceive as unfair.