Why are (or are not) patients given the option to enter clinical trials?

Much attention has been paid to the use of ethical principles to guide the conduct of clinical trials. Less has been done to clarify and assess the "weights" assigned by clinicians (and others) to the values that come into conflict when patients are offered entry into trials. Quantitative techniques of value assessment were used to measure the relative importance of variables frequently identified as barriers to the entry of patients into clinical trials. Responses were obtained from 52 oncologists, 26 clinical trials and senior nurses, and 23 family physicians. The group of oncologists identified the scientific design of the trial as the most important factor. In contrast, the groups of nurses and family physicians gave higher weight to effects of the trial on the doctor-patient relationship. The results illustrate ways in which methods of value assessment may be used to clarify and rank values.     

From apprentices to academics: are nurses catching up?

In comparison to other disciplines, Australian nursing has only come relatively lately to academia. Traditionally, academic qualifications were not viewed as necessary for nurses. The movement of nursing education to the tertiary sector has seen many changes from the traditional apprenticeship model and the characteristics of nurse-academics reflect these. The researchers identified changes that have occurred in the last five years in nurse-academics' qualifications, academic rank and links between them. It is clear that the goalposts for nurse academics have moved, with a master's degree now standard for Lecturer Level B and a doctorate for Level D. Other findings show a strong link between movement (transfer), increased qualifications and promotion. Females were more likely than males to have increased their qualifications and to be promoted. In terms of academic qualifications in the whole system, female nurse-academics have caught up with their counterparts in the former CAE sector. Male nurse-academics have parity with female nurse-academics but not with males in the system generally. The study shows the great strides that Australian nurse-academics have made in the five years preceding the end of the old millenium but illustrates that they and female academics generally have not yet caught up to their male colleagues.     

Biospecimen repositories: are blood donors willing to participate?

BACKGROUND: Sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Studies (REDS‐I/‐II) have conducted epidemiologic, laboratory, and survey research on volunteer blood donors. Some studies request additional permission to store biospecimens for future studies. The representativeness and applicability of studies performed using repositories may be reduced by low participation rates. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Demographics from subjects consenting to participate in the 2007 REDS‐II Leukocyte Antibodies Prevalence Study (LAPS) repository were compared to “study‐only” subjects. Data from the 1998 REDS‐I survey of donor opinion regarding storage and use of biospecimens were also explored. RESULTS: Overall, 91% of LAPS subjects agreed to participate in the repository. Odds of repository participation were lower among African American and Hispanic donors, 35‐ to 44‐year‐olds, donors who had not completed high school, and donors from one geographic location, regardless of other variables. Survey data from 1998 revealed that 97% of respondents approved of long‐term storage of biospecimens, although only 87% indicated that they would personally participate. Many respondents would require notification or their permission be obtained before participation. Minority respondents would require permission or notification more often and were less certain they would personally participate in a repository. CONCLUSION: Blood donors are quite willing to participate in biospecimen repositories. Regional differences and lower odds of participation in the minority blood donor population may result in a reduced number of biospecimens available for study and a decreased ability to definitely answer specific research questions in these populations.