USA Today -- Researchers: Study results should be given to participants

[Guest guest]

Researchers: Study results should be given to participants

By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY

When patients enroll in clinical trials, they do so with the knowledge that

their own health might not benefit and could even be compromised. So the

least researchers could do is reveal the results to them, a study concludes

today.

When a clinical trial ends, " there's usually not much additional effort done

to reach out to participants and inform them (of the results) in a timely

manner, " lead author Ray Dorsey says. In fact, he says, participants usually

don't even learn if they were taking the study drug or a placebo or

comparator drug, information that could impact their own care.

Full story at

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-12-08-clinical-trials_N.htm?csp=34

The abstract of the study, " Communicating Clinical Trial Results to Research

Participants " , is online at

http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/65/12/1590