ArticleTrials2010
Reasons for participating in randomised controlled trials: conditional altruism and considerations for self.
Article in Trials, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 165 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
165 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Factors influencing the participation of pregnant and lactating women in clinical trials: A mixed-methods systematic review.PLoS medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Parental Views of Facilitators and Barriers to Research Participation: Systematic Review.Pediatrics · 2023Pooled it
- Factors that impact on recruitment to randomised trials in health care: a qualitative evidence synthesis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Motivations and expectations for spinal cord epidural stimulation study participation: perspectives from individuals with spinal cord injury and caregivers.Spinal cord · 2026Trial
- Randomized Comparison of Online Motivational Themes in Clinical Trial Recruitment.Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Chair-based yoga programme for older adults with multimorbidity: RCT with embedded economic and process evaluations.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2024Trial
- Temporary treatment cessation compared with continuation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for adults with renal cancer: the STAR non-inferiority RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Posterior cervical foraminotomy versus anterior cervical discectomy for Cervical Brachialgia: the FORVAD RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Trial
- Expectations of Tele-Yoga in Persons With Long-Term Illness: Qualitative Content Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Trial
- Recruitment to a trial of antipsychotic reduction: impact of an acceptability study.BMC medical research methodology · 2023Trial
- Acceptability of integrating smoking cessation treatment into routine care for people with mental illness: A qualitative study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2023Trial
- Primary care patients' experiences of video consultations for depression and anxiety: a qualitative interview study embedded in a randomized feasibility trial.BMC health services research · 2023Trial
- Feasibility Trial of Yoga Programme for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention (YOGA-DP) among High-Risk People in India: A Qualitative Study to Explore Participants' Trial- and Intervention-Related Barriers and Facilitators.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Examining study participants' decision-making and ethics-related experiences in a dietary community randomized controlled trial in Malawi.BMC medical ethics · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Open urethroplasty versus endoscopic urethrotomy for recurrent urethral stricture in men: the OPEN RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2020Trial
105 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundRandomised controlled trials of healthcare interventions depend on the participation of volunteers who might not derive any personal health benefit from their participation. The idea that altruistic-type motives are important for trial participation is understandably widespread, but recent studies suggest considerations of personal benefit can influence participation decisions in various ways.
methodsNon-participant observation of recruitment consultations (n = 25) and in-depth interviews with people invited to participate in the UK REFLUX trial (n = 13).
resultsWillingness to help others and to contribute towards furthering medical knowledge featured strongly among the reasons people gave for being interested in participating in the trial. But decisions to attend recruitment appointments and take part were not based solely on consideration of others. Rather, they were presented as conditional on individuals additionally perceiving some benefit (and no significant disadvantage) for themselves. Potential for personal benefit or disadvantage could be seen in both the interventions being evaluated and trial processes.
conclusionsThe term 'conditional altruism' concisely describes the willingness to help others that may initially incline people to participate in a trial, but that is unlikely to lead to trial participation in practice unless people also recognise that participation will benefit them personally. Recognition of conditional altruism has implications for planning trial recruitment communications to promote informed and voluntary trial participation.
trial registrationISRCTN15517081.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.