Development of a Measure to Assess Patient Trust in Medical Researchers
Ann Fam Med Mainous et al.
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The Article in Brief
Development of a Measure to Assess Patient Trust in Medical Researchers
Arch G. Mainous III, PhD, and colleagues
Background Many research studies find it difficult to recruit individuals, particularly minorities, for
participation. Mistrust of research and researchers may be one reason why a person declines to participate. The purpose of this study is to develop a scale for assessing trust in medical researchers.
What This Study Found The Trust in Medical Researchers Scale is successful in assessing a person's trust in medical researchers. It may be useful in recruiting minority groups for research studies. The scale can help researchers examine community belief systems and concerns, and then tailor recruitment efforts and community education for the project accordingly.
Implications
- As primary care researchers become more aware of the need to include diverse populations in studies that truly represent primary care patients, the issue of barriers to recruitment and participation takes on greater importance. This scale appears to be a useful tool for researchers.
