Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41851553›Full record

ArticleTherapeutic innovation & regulatory science2026

Parents' Perspectives on Access to Pediatric Rare Disease Cross-Border Clinical Trials in Europe: Experiences of Language Inclusion and Preferences.

Begonya Nafria, Segolene Gaillard, Martine Dehlinger-Kremer, Pamela Dicks, Ricardo M Fernandes, Lucy Bray, Barbara E Bierer, Bob Phillips

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Therapeutic innovation & regulatory science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Begonya NafriaInstitut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Head of the Patient Engagement in Research Department, Santa Rosa 39-57, 08950, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain. begonya.nafria@sjd.es.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4494-3663
Segolene GaillardCIC 1407, Inserm, Kids France, CHU-Lyon, Lyon, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6854-7366
Martine Dehlinger-KremerUCB Biosciences, Monheim, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8219-7809
Pamela DicksNHS-NRS Children, NHS Grampian, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital, Aberdeen, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1696-0757
Ricardo M FernandesClinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7253-6475
Lucy BrayFaculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8414-3233
Barbara E BiererMulti-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6448-8170
Bob PhillipsCentre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9663-0872

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAccess to cross-border clinical trials may represent the sole therapeutic option for children living with rare diseases for which no approved medicines exist. Many children are excluded from participation in trials due to language restrictions. There are insufficient comprehensive analyses of the experiences and preferences of parents across Europe concerning participation and exclusion of their child in international clinical trials, particularly regarding language support during enrollment in cross-border clinical research studies.

methodsAn anonymous online survey was designed and translated into 22 official European languages to collect data from parents of children living with a disease across Europe. The survey included five sections: (1) sociodemographic information; (2) experience participating in a clinical trial; (3) experience in cases where the patient was unable to take part in a study abroad; (4) experience participating in a clinical trial abroad; and (5) preferences regarding decentralized trial options.

results1,436 responses were analyzed from parents across 34 European countries. KEY

findings55.7% of the parents reported being able to communicate in English. 10.7% had prior clinical trial experience, of whom 30.1% traveled abroad to enable their child to participate. Among those reporting being excluded from cross-border trials, 34.7% cited language barriers or country of residence as the reason. Most families expressed a strong willingness to accept decentralized trial options, regardless of where the study may be conducted.

conclusionsAccommodating language translation to permit participation in a clinical trial abroad is feasible. While a significant percentage of caregivers of pediatric patients in Europe could communicate in English, approximately one-third of those excluded from clinical trials cited language barriers or country of residence as the reason. When translation was required, the most commonly offered solution was the use of professional interpreters, an accommodation that could enable broader patient participation in essential research.

Indexed as

Clinical Trials as TopicCommunication BarriersLanguageParentsRare DiseasesAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolEuropeFemaleHumansMaleSurveys and QuestionnairesCross-border clinical trialsInformed consent processMother tongueParents’ preferencesPatient reported outcomes measures (PROMs)Preferred languageQuality of life scalesTranslation

Identifiers

PMID41851553
PMCPMC13354654

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.