NRAS is happy to support this online survey as part of research being carried out by the University of Southampton(UK) Please see full details below.
What’s the purpose of this study?
This is a pilot study as part of a larger research project which aims to provide better information for patients involved in clinical trials in the future.
It is fundamentally important that patients who take part in medical research are aware of what they are agreeing to do. However, we have identified potentially major problems with the ways in which clinical trial participants are told about placebos. Before trials commence, volunteers are typically given incomplete and at times misleading information about placebos (Bishop et al., 2012). The aim of our pilot study is to test whether/demonstrate that different ways of describing placebos in written information create different expectations regarding their effectiveness. The objective is to identify whether such information can influence participant beliefs regarding placebos which has further implications for placebo-controlled trials.
Reference for further information:
Bishop, F.L., Adams, A.E.M., Kaptchuk, T. J. & Lewith, G.T. (2012). Informed consent and placebo effects: A content analysis of information leaflets to identify what clinical trial participants are told about placebos. PLos One, 7 (6), 1-7.
What will I have to do if I take part?
We have developed a leaflet which aims to provide patients with information about placebo-controlled clinical trials. We would like participants to view a leaflet and then answer a series of questions about their beliefs about placebos and medicines. This should take no longer than half an hour. The leaflet and questionnaire is available through iSurvey, the online survey generator at the University of Southampton.
The following link will take you straight to the information sheet, where you will tick a box if you agree to take part. You will then be presented with an information leaflet, followed by a series of questions ?
Who can take part?
Anybody who has a chronic illness is eligible to take part.
Deadline for responses: March 31st
Will my data be anonymous? Are there any risks?
The researchers will follow legal and ethical practice and all data will be handled in confidence. All information will be stored on a password protected University of Southampton computer. Data collected through iSurvey is not linked to any participant names and is therefore completely anonymized.
This is a questionnaire-based study so there is minimal risk, however, you can choose to leave the study at any point without it affecting your rights.
Contact details
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the research assistant (Laura McGinn, email: l.m.mcginn@soton.ac.uk).
