Financial disclosure and clinical research: what is important to participants?

OBJECTIVE: To assess what participants in company-sponsored clinical trials wish to know about financial aspects of the study. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional questionnaire administered to 324 participants in six clinical trials conducted at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in 1999-2000 and 2006 for non-acute conditions (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and influenza vaccine efficacy). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants' desire for information on study funding, investigators' conflicts of interest, and use of accrued funds. RESULTS: 259 participants (80%) completed the survey. Participants wanted to be informed about the identity of the project sponsor (148 participants; 57%), whether the investigators owned shares in the company (105; 41%) or received travel grants (83; 32%), how much funding was accrued at study completion (88; 34%), how accrued funds were used (98; 38%), and who approved their use (91; 35%). After adjusting for year of survey and level of education, younger subjects (aged

Telephone based asthma management - financial and individual benefits.

METHODS: The authors calculated the cost of delivering telephone based asthma management compared to usual care. Self efficacy and quality of life were measured at recruitment, 6 months and 12 months. Participants were invited to comment on their experience of the telephone based intervention. RESULTS: The intervention was well accepted. At 12 months there was a clinically important improvement in mean quality of life in the intervention group not seen in the control group. Telephone based management costs were offset by reductions in the number of readmissions in the intervention group. DISCUSSION: Telephone based asthma management offers a well accepted, low cost yet potentially effective means of delivering asthma care.