Gruen Margaret E, Jiamachello Katrina N, Thomson Andrea, Lascelles B Duncan X
Comparative Pain Research Laboratory, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, USA Behavioral Medicine Service, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, USA
Comparative Pain Research Laboratory, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, USA.
J Feline Med Surg. 2014 Sep;16(9):727-35. doi: 10.1177/1098612X14539499. Epub 2014 Jun 17.
Clinical trials are frequently hindered by difficulties in recruiting eligible participants, increasing the timeline and limiting generalizability of results. In veterinary medicine, where proxy enrollment is required, no studies have detailed what factors influence owner participation in clinical trials involving cats. We aimed to investigate these factors through a survey of owners at first opinion practices.
The survey was designed using feedback from a pilot study and input from clinical researchers. Owners were asked demographic questions and whether they would, would not, or were unsure about participating in a clinical trial with their cat. They then ranked the importance and influence of various factors on participation using a five-point Likert-type scale, and incentives from most to least encouraging. A total of 413 surveys were distributed to cat owners at four hospitals, two feline-only and two multi-species; 88.6% were completed. Data for importance and influence factors as well as incentive rankings were analyzed overall, and by hospital type, location and whether owners would consider participating.
The most influential factors were trust in the organization, benefit to the cat and veterinarian recommendation. Importance and influence factors varied by willingness to participate. Ranked incentives were not significantly different across groups, with 'Free Services' ranked highest.
This study provides a first look at what factors influence participation in clinical trials with cats. Given the importance placed in the recommendation of veterinarians, continued work is needed to determine veterinarian-related factors affecting clinical trial participation. The results provide guidance towards improved clinical trial design, promotion and education.
临床试验常常因招募合格参与者困难而受阻，这延长了试验时间并限制了结果的普遍性。在需要代理招募的兽医学领域，尚无研究详细说明哪些因素会影响猫主人参与涉及猫的临床试验。我们旨在通过对初诊诊所的猫主人进行调查来研究这些因素。
该调查是根据一项试点研究的反馈以及临床研究人员的意见设计的。向猫主人询问了人口统计学问题，以及他们是否会、不会或不确定是否会让自己的猫参与临床试验。然后，他们使用五点李克特量表对各种因素对参与的重要性和影响进行排序，并对激励措施从最鼓励到最不鼓励进行排序。总共向四家医院（两家仅治疗猫的医院和两家综合医院）的猫主人发放了413份调查问卷；88.6%的问卷得到了回复。对重要性和影响因素以及激励措施排名的数据进行了总体分析，并按医院类型、地点以及主人是否会考虑参与进行了分析。
最具影响力的因素是对组织的信任、对猫的益处以及兽医的推荐。重要性和影响因素因参与意愿而异。各群体对激励措施的排名没有显著差异，“免费服务”排名最高。
本研究首次探讨了哪些因素会影响猫参与临床试验。鉴于兽医推荐的重要性，需要继续开展工作以确定影响临床试验参与的兽医相关因素。研究结果为改进临床试验设计、推广和教育提供了指导。
