Abstract
Background/aims
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented an unprecedented challenge for delivering clinical research. The use of technology-assisted data collection for clinical research is desirable for many practitioners, but the acceptability of use in the general population has not been assessed. The aim of the study was to assess attitudes towards using technology-assisted remote methods in the delivery of clinical research in the UK and to understand the barriers to taking part in research with respect to both remote assessments and traditional research methods across different age ranges.
Methods
The study was conducted as an online anonymous survey with a 4-part questionnaire, between August 2020 and December 2020. Participants living in the UK aged 18 years and above were eligible to take part.
Results
A total 351 completed the survey and are included in the data analysis. In all age groups, participants identified that use of online assignments, video calls and telephone calls would make them more likely to take part in clinical research. Overall, the largest barrier to taking part in research was time commitments and timing of the appointment. COVID-19 has had a small, positive influence on the confidence of using technology in the general population.
Conclusions
The study found that there is a large interest in taking part in research using online, telephone and video call appointments, which could facilitate research delivery in light of ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions and also improve the accessibility and inclusivity of research.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented an unprecedented challenge for delivering clinical research. The use of technology-assisted data collection for clinical research is desirable for many practitioners, but the acceptability of use in the general population has not been assessed. The aim of the study was to assess attitudes towards using technology-assisted remote methods in the delivery of clinical research in the UK and to understand the barriers to taking part in research with respect to both remote assessments and traditional research methods across different age ranges.
Methods
The study was conducted as an online anonymous survey with a 4-part questionnaire, between August 2020 and December 2020. Participants living in the UK aged 18 years and above were eligible to take part.
Results
A total 351 completed the survey and are included in the data analysis. In all age groups, participants identified that use of online assignments, video calls and telephone calls would make them more likely to take part in clinical research. Overall, the largest barrier to taking part in research was time commitments and timing of the appointment. COVID-19 has had a small, positive influence on the confidence of using technology in the general population.
Conclusions
The study found that there is a large interest in taking part in research using online, telephone and video call appointments, which could facilitate research delivery in light of ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions and also improve the accessibility and inclusivity of research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 106595 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Contemporary Clinical Trials |
| Volume | 111 |
| Early online date | 13 Oct 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:BRTC data manager, David Carmichael, for the help and support in hosting the survey on the BRTC RedCap platform. We thank all the organisations who assisted with advertising the study in newsletters and online.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
Research Groups and Themes
- Ageing and Movement Research Group
Keywords
- Clinical trials
- Clinical research
- Telemedicine
- Methodology
- eTrials
- Remote assessments
- Online trials
- Digital trials
- Trial designs