Journal of Clinical Research & Bioethics

Abstract

Understanding Patients Perspective on Clinical Research in Indian Population

Kaushal Kapadia

Objective: To understand patient’s perspectives on clinical research in India.
Design: A questionnaire based survey was conducted in different parts of India, covering all kind of population. Questionnaires were filled with the help of investigators, physicians, social workers, freelancers, and research professionals, etc.
Methods: India is said to be the hub of clinical research. It is also equivalently important that the Indian population remain well aware about the basics of clinical research so that individuals are not treated as “guinea pigs” and the research is conducted with full ethics and good clinical practice. The study was undertaken to analyze the perspective and awareness of clinical research amongst Indian population.
Results: There were 20 different parameters/data points for which the data was collected from 6122 patients across the country. As the available data is dichotomous a dynamic analysis was done using a percentile method.
Conclusion: Though Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) – the office of the Drug Controller General (India), the supreme regulatory authority for clinical research in India, has framed necessary guidelines and schedules to oversee that clinical trials are conducted in ethical manner still the understanding of patients remains ambiguous. The data concludes that awareness about clinical research remains low. Better public awareness will help us bring new therapies to the market.