Research ArticleMethodology

Development of a Measure to Assess Patient Trust in Medical Researchers

Arch G. Mainous, Daniel W. Smith, Mark E. Geesey and Barbara C. Tilley
The Annals of Family Medicine May 2006, 4 (3) 247-252; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.541

Article Figures & Data

Tables

  • Table 1.

    Item Descriptions, Factor Loadings (Participant Deception, Researcher Honesty), and Item to Total Correlation of the Trust in Medical Researchers Scale

    Orthogonal RotationOblique Rotation
    No.ItemPDRHPDRHα If Item Is Deleted
    PD = participant deception; RH = researcher honesty.
    * Reverse scored items.
    1To get people to take part in a study, medical researchers usually do not explain all of the dangers about participation.*0.4450.4150.5360.5140.829
    2Participants should be concerned about being deceived or misled by medical researchers.*0.6140.1760.6390.3260.833
    3Usually, researchers who make mistakes try to cover them up.*0.6110.3460.6790.4900.824
    4Medical researchers act differently toward minority subjects than toward white subjects.*0.6710.1840.6950.3480.829
    5Medical researchers unfairly select minorities for their most dangerous research studies.*0.7800.1690.7980.3610.823
    6Some medical research projects are secretly designed to expose minority groups to diseases such as AIDS.*0.7000.0620.6930.2370.833
    7Medical researchers are generally honest in telling participants about different treatment options available for their conditions.0.1290.6550.2920.6660.834
    8Usually, medical researchers tell participants everything about possible dangers.0.2550.6670.4170.7100.827
    9All in all, medical researchers would not conduct experiments on people without their knowledge.0.0460.6810.2190.6710.837
    10Most medical researchers would not lie to people to try to convince them to participate in a research study.0.1430.6140.2950.6300.835
    11In general, medical researchers care more about doing their research than about the participants’ medical needs.*0.3550.5220.4760.5950.829
    12Researchers are more interested in helping their careers than in learning about health and disease.*0.4530.5450.5780.6420.822
  • Table 2.

    Means and Standard Deviation for the Overall Trust in Medical Researchers Scale Score and Each of the Subscores by Race

    SubgroupsNumberOverall TIMRSParticipant DeceptionResearcher Honesty
    TIMRS = Trust in Medical Researches Scale.
    * Significantly different from white males participants (P <.05).
    † Significantly different from white female participants (P <.05).
    ‡ Significantly different from white participants <55 years (P <.05).
    § Significantly different from white participants ≥55 years (P <.05).
    || Significantly different from white participants with high school education or less (P <.05).
    ¶ Significantly different from white participants with at least some college education (P <.05).
    Sex
    White, male11129.1 (5.5)28.1 (6.3)30.1 (5.9)
    White, female20828.6 (5.6)27.7 (6.3)29.5 (6.3)
    African American, male3224.7 (7.1)*22.1 (8.2)*27.3 (7.6)*
    African American, female7323.9 (6.8)†22.0 (7.4)†25.8 (7.8)†
    Other, male1024.8 (4.5)26.0 (7.2)23.6 (5.9)
    Other, female624.7 (4.1)23.7 (4.5)25.7 (5.1)
    Age
    White, <55 y15929.6 (5.4)28.7 (6.1)30.5 (6.0)
    White, ≥55 y16128.0 (5.6)‡26.9 (6.4)‡29.0 (7.0)‡
    African American, <55 y6924.8 (6.7)‡22.7 (7.9)‡26.9 (7.4)‡
    African American, ≥55 y3322.7 (7.0)§20.6 (6.9)§24.8 (8.1)§
    Education
    White, ≤ high school13027.5 (5.3)26.2 (6.2)28.9 (5.9)
    White, ≥ some college19029.6 (5.6)||28.9 (6.1)||30.3 (6.1)||
    African American, ≤ high school6424.3 (6.2)||22.0 (5.6)||26.6 (7.3)||
    African American, ≥ some college4123.9 (7.9)22.1 (9.1)25.7 (8.4)
  • Table 3.

    Pearson Correlation Coefficients Between the Trust in Medical Researchers Scale and Subscale Scores With Other Established Trust Measures: Health Insurance Trust Scale, Trust in Physicians Scale, Cynicism

    Trust in Medical Researchers ScaleHealth Insurance Trust ScalesTrust in Physicians ScaleCynicism
    * P <.001.
    † P <.005.
    Total scale0.290*0.263*−0.380*
    Participant deception subscale0.281*0.183†−0.377*
    Researcher honesty subscale0.248*0.300*−0.305*
  • Table 4.

    Relation of Trust in Medical Researchers Scale Scores by Likelihood of Volunteering to Participate in Future Research

    ScoresPercent Likely to Volunteerχ2 P Value
    TIMRS = Trust in Medical Researchers Scale.
    Overall TIMRS
    <2449.1<.001
    ≥2471.4
    Patient deception
    <2457.5<.01
    ≥2469.9
    Researcher honesty
    <2445.5<.001
    ≥2471.0

Additional Files

  • 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.
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