Abstract

Objectives: To examine the willingness of patients to participate in a resuscitation study that requires exception from informed consent and to determine if willingness to participate is associated with demographic and other characteristics.Methods: Adult patients in an emergency department and in a geriatric outpatient clinic were surveyed. Patients were asked to imagine that they presented to an emergency department with cardiac arrest and asked about their willingness to receive a new drug outside of a study, receive a new drug as part of a study and participate in a randomised controlled trial for a new drug. Patients were also asked about participation in studies of invasive procedures.Results: 213 patients from a geriatric clinic and 207 from an emergency department were surveyed. Two thirds of patients from the geriatric clinic and 83% from the emergency department were willing to receive an experimental drug outside of a study. Patients were less willing to participate in a study of the new drug and even less likely to participate in an RCT for the new drug . Patients were less likely to participate in a study of thoracotomy than in a study that required placement of a femoral catheter . Willingness to participate was not associated with trust in the doctors.Conclusions: Study design and invasiveness of the intervention were associated with the willingness of patients to participate in resuscitation studies that require exception from informed consent