TY - JOUR
T1 - Expression of therapeutic misconception amongst Egyptians
T2 - A qualitative pilot study
AU - Wazaify, Mayyada
AU - Khalil, Susan S.
AU - Silverman, Henry J.
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was supported by the University of Maryland – Middle East Research Ethics Training Initiative (MERETI) with funding from the Fogarty International Center, the National Institutes of Health. (NIH Research Grant # 25TW007090).
Funding Information:
MW is Associate Professor in the Department of Biophar-maceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. SK is a resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, New York. She received her medical degree from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. HS is Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. He is the Principal Investigator of a Bioethics Career Development Training Grant from the Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health.
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Background. Studies have shown that research participants fail to appreciate the difference between research and medical care, labeling such phenomenon as a "therapeutic misconception" (TM). Since research activity involving human participants is increasing in the Middle East, qualitative research investigating aspects of TM is warranted. Our objective was to assess for the existence of therapeutic misconception amongst Egyptians. Methods. Study Tool: We developed a semi-structured interview guide to elicit the knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives of Egyptians regarding medical research. Setting: We recruited individuals from the outpatient settings (public and private) at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. Analysis: Interviews were taped, transcribed, and translated. We analyzed the content of the transcribed text to identify the presence of a TM, defined in one of two ways: TM1 = inaccurate beliefs about how individualized care can be compromised by the procedures in the research and TM2 = inaccurate appraisal of benefit obtained from the research study. Results. Our findings showed that a majority of participants (11/15) expressed inaccurate beliefs regarding the degree with which individualized care will be maintained in the research setting (TM1) and a smaller number of participants (5/15) manifested an unreasonable belief in the likelihood of benefits to be obtained from a research study (TM2). A total of 12 of the 15 participants were judged to have expressed a TM on either one of these bases. Conclusion. The presence of TM is not uncommon amongst Egyptian individuals. We recommend further qualitative studies investigating aspects of TM involving a larger sample size distinguished by different types of illnesses and socio-economic variables, as well as those who have and have not participated in clinical research.
AB - Background. Studies have shown that research participants fail to appreciate the difference between research and medical care, labeling such phenomenon as a "therapeutic misconception" (TM). Since research activity involving human participants is increasing in the Middle East, qualitative research investigating aspects of TM is warranted. Our objective was to assess for the existence of therapeutic misconception amongst Egyptians. Methods. Study Tool: We developed a semi-structured interview guide to elicit the knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives of Egyptians regarding medical research. Setting: We recruited individuals from the outpatient settings (public and private) at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. Analysis: Interviews were taped, transcribed, and translated. We analyzed the content of the transcribed text to identify the presence of a TM, defined in one of two ways: TM1 = inaccurate beliefs about how individualized care can be compromised by the procedures in the research and TM2 = inaccurate appraisal of benefit obtained from the research study. Results. Our findings showed that a majority of participants (11/15) expressed inaccurate beliefs regarding the degree with which individualized care will be maintained in the research setting (TM1) and a smaller number of participants (5/15) manifested an unreasonable belief in the likelihood of benefits to be obtained from a research study (TM2). A total of 12 of the 15 participants were judged to have expressed a TM on either one of these bases. Conclusion. The presence of TM is not uncommon amongst Egyptian individuals. We recommend further qualitative studies investigating aspects of TM involving a larger sample size distinguished by different types of illnesses and socio-economic variables, as well as those who have and have not participated in clinical research.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=68149182783&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/1472-6939-10-7
DO - 10.1186/1472-6939-10-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 19563683
AN - SCOPUS:68149182783
VL - 10
JO - BMC Medical Ethics
JF - BMC Medical Ethics
SN - 1472-6939
IS - 1
M1 - 7
ER -