Making a difference: the clinical research programme for children

Discontinuation and nonpublication of pediatric otolaryngology clinical trials

OBJECTIVES

Randomized controlled trial (RCT) discontinuation and nonpublication are potential mechanisms of waste in resources and lead to decreased advancement of medical science and compromised ethical issues in all specialties. However, the prevalence of discontinued or unpublished RCTs regarding common pediatric otolaryngology disorders and interventions remains unclear.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of common pediatric otolaryngology RCTs registered in ClinicalTrials.gov up until November 2, 2018. Data were collected from the registry, and publication status was identified. If a reason for trial discontinuation or nonpublication was not identified through a systematic search, corresponding trialists were contacted through email.

RESULTS

After exclusion, 260 RCTs were included for analysis. Analysis found 198 (76%) RCTs were completed, and 62 (24%) trials were discontinued. The most commonly reported reasons for RCT discontinuation were program termination by sponsor or management (7/24; 29.2%), lack of participant enrollment, difficulty recruiting, or slow accrual (7/24; 29.2%). A total of 192 (192/260; 73.8%) published RCTs and 68 (68/260; 26.2%) unpublished RCTs were identified. Twenty-six (26/62; 42%) of the discontinued RCTs reached publication, while 36 (58%) remained unpublished. Regarding the completed RCTs, 166 of 198 (83.8%) completed trials reached publication, while 32 (32/198; 16.2%) remained unpublished after trial completion.

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately 1 in 4 of included RCTs were discontinued or did not reach publication. Findings suggest further guidance is needed for RCTs regarding common pediatric otolaryngology disorders and interventions.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

NA.

Facilitators and barriers of children's participation in nutrition, physical activity, and obesity interventions: A systematic review

Recruitment of children into clinical trials is challenging. Most systematic reviews exploring facilitators and barriers of child recruitment in clinical trials are related to drugs or experimental treatments for various health conditions. This may differ in nutrition, physical activity, and obesity interventions. The objective was to conduct a systematic review of facilitators and barriers for children's participation in nutrition, physical activity, and obesity interventions from the perspective of parents, children, and researchers. Studies were identified from five databases and restricted to children 2-18 years and the English language. Studies without results on facilitators and barriers of recruitment were excluded. Four hundred twenty-three records were identified; 94 duplicates and 269 unrelated records were initially excluded; 60 records were reviewed for full-text, and subsequently 34 were excluded, for a total of 26 included studies. The top barriers for recruiting children into clinical trials were time constraints, understanding of clinical trial information or complexity of consent/trial info, and transportation/lack of childcare. The most common facilitators were benefits to others and self, compensation/incentives, physician recommendations/referrals, and support. These barriers and facilitators should be addressed in future studies to assist in the successful recruitment of children into nutrition, physical activity, and obesity interventions.

Needs Assessment for Supports to Promote Pediatric Clinical Research Using an Online Survey of the Japanese Children's Hospitals Association

INTRODUCTION

Infrastructure and the capacity to conduct clinical research in pediatrics have not been fully established in Japan. To elucidate the physicians' perspectives on clinical research, level of experience, existing barriers, and requests for support, we conducted a survey at 34 children's hospitals in Japan.

METHODS

In January 2016, an online survey with 13 questions was sent to approximately 2000 physicians working in 34 pediatric hospitals belonging to the Japanese Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions.

RESULTS

Of the 360 respondents, 318 (88.3%) had presentations at academic conferences, and 261 (72.5%) had publications in academic journals, in the previous year. The most common study designs of clinical research conducted were case reports and case series. The most requested supports were for statistical analysis, followed by study design, grant application, and English-language editing. Younger physicians were more likely to prefer educational lectures (p < 0.001), whereas experienced physicians were more likely to request support for conducting statistical analysis (p = 0.002). Whereas physicians who had ever led a clinical trial requested support for the development of study protocol (p = .013), those without this experience preferred support for literature review (p = .002) and consultation services for study design (p = .027).

CONCLUSIONS

The requests for supports were different, depending on the physicians' years after graduation and experience level in clinical research. In order to enhance clinical research in pediatrics, it is essential to provide appropriate types and levels of educational and support programs.

Supporting children and young people when making decisions about joining clinical trials: qualitative study to inform multimedia website development

OBJECTIVES

To understand stakeholders' views regarding the content and design of paediatric clinical trial multimedia websites. To describe how this knowledge informed the development of the multimedia websites.

DESIGN

Qualitative study comprising two rounds of interviews or focus groups, with thematic analysis of interview transcripts.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixty-two people (21 children and young people with long-term health conditions, 24 parents and 17 professionals).

SETTING

One UK children's hospital and one UK Young Persons' Advisory Group.

RESULTS

When asked what was important in deciding whether to join a trial, children, young people and parents prioritised information about what participation would involve, what the trial was testing, potential benefits and risks of participation and knowing they could leave the trial if they later changed their minds. Young people and parents trusted trial teams to follow regulatory and quality requirements and therefore did not think such information was a priority for the websites, although logos of trusted organisations could lend credibility. Professionals largely concurred with these views. Children and young people advised on the importance of designing the multimedia website to ensure its appearance, tone and wording suited the intended audience and on using animated characters to facilitate children's engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides insights into the information that families value when deciding about healthcare trial participation. It provides guidance on the design of information resources to appeal to children and young people, while also being acceptable to parents and professionals who are often gatekeepers of children's access to information. Our findings will be of use to others developing similar multimedia websites. We report specific information needs and new visual preferences that are not usually addressed in printed trial information. Our work illustrates what qualitative research and participatory design practices can contribute to the development of information resources more generally.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN73136092; Pre-results.

Range and Heterogeneity of Outcomes in Randomized Trials of Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease

OBJECTIVE

To determine the range and heterogeneity of outcomes reported in randomized controlled trials of interventions for children with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

STUDY DESIGN

The Cochrane Kidney and Transplant Specialized Register was searched to March 2016. Randomized trials involving children across all stages of CKD were selected. All outcome domains and measurements were extracted from included trials. The frequency and characteristics of the outcome domains and measures were evaluated.

RESULTS

From 205 trials included, 6158 different measurements of 100 different outcome domains were reported, with a median of 22 domains per trial (IQR 13-41). Overall, 52 domains (52%) were surrogate, 38 (38%) were clinical, and 10 (10%) were patient-reported. The 5 most commonly reported domains were blood pressure (76 [37%] trials), relapse/remission (70 [34%]), kidney function (66 [32%]), infection (61 [30%]), and height/pubertal development (51 [25%]). Mortality (14%), cardiovascular disease (4%), and quality of life (1%) were reported infrequently. The 2 most frequently reported outcomes, blood pressure and relapse/remission, had 56 and 81 different outcome measures, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcomes reported in clinical trials involving children with CKD are extremely heterogeneous and are most often surrogate outcomes, rather than clinical and patient-centered outcomes such as cardiovascular disease and quality of life. Efforts to ensure consistent reporting of outcomes that are important to patients and clinicians will improve the value of trials to guide clinical decision-making. In our study, non-English articles were excluded.

Needs assessment for collaborative network in pediatric clinical research and education

BACKGROUND

A collaborative network for pediatric research has not been fully established in Japan. To identify the network infrastructure, we conducted a survey on the support and education for clinical research currently available in children's hospitals.

METHODS

In November 2014, a 27-question survey was distributed to 31 hospitals belonging to the Japanese Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (JACHRI) to assess clinical research support, research education, research achievements, and their expectations.

RESULTS

All the hospitals responded to the survey. Overall, 74.2% of hospitals had clinical research support divisions. Although all hospitals had ethics committees, <30% of the hospitals had a data manager, intellectual property management unit, biostatistician, and English-language editor. Seven hospitals had education programs for clinical research. The number of seminars and workshops for clinical research had significant correlations with the number of physicians (r = 0.927), pediatricians (r = 0.922), and clinical trial management physicians (r = 0.962). There was a significant difference in the number of clinical trials initiated by physicians between hospitals with research education programs and those without (P < 0.01). The number of education programs was significantly correlated with the number of original articles and case reports in English (r = 0.788), and the number of publications in Japanese (r = 0.648). All hospitals recognized the need for a leader to establish a collaborative network for clinical research.

CONCLUSIONS

Important factors for creating a collaborative system for pediatric research in Japan were identified. Human resources to support clinical research are a key factor to improve clinical research education and research achievements.

Clinical trials in children

Safety and efficacy data on many medicines used in children are surprisingly scarce. As a result children are sometimes given ineffective medicines or medicines with unknown harmful side effects. Better and more relevant clinical trials in children are needed to increase our knowledge of the effects of medicines and to prevent the delayed or non-use of beneficial therapies. Clinical trials provide reliable evidence of treatment effects by rigorous controlled testing of interventions on human subjects. Paediatric trials are more challenging to conduct than trials in adults because of the paucity of funding, uniqueness of children and particular ethical concerns. Although current regulations and initiatives are improving the scope, quantity and quality of trials in children, there are still deficiencies that need to be addressed to accelerate radically equitable access to evidence-based therapies in children.

Parents' agendas in paediatric clinical trial recruitment are different from researchers' and often remain unvoiced: a qualitative study

Ensuring parents make an informed decision about their child's participation in a clinical trial is a challenge for practitioners as a parent's comprehension of a trial may differ from that intended by the practitioners responsible for recruitment. We explored what issues parents consider important when making a decision about participation in a paediatric clinical trial and their comprehension of these issues to inform future recruitment practice. This qualitative interview and observational study examined recruitment in four placebo-controlled, double-blind randomised clinical trials of medicines for children. Audio-recorded trial recruitment discussions between practitioners and parents (N = 41) were matched with semi-structured interviews with parents (N = 41). When making a decision about trial entry parents considered clinical benefit, child safety, practicalities of participation, research for the common good, access to medication and randomisation. Within these prioritised issues parents had specific misunderstandings, which had the potential to influence their decisions. While parents had many questions and concerns about trial participation which influenced their decision-making, they rarely voiced these during discussions about the trials with practitioners. Those involved in the recruitment of children to clinical trials need to be aware of parents' priorities and the sorts of misunderstandings that can arise with parents. Providing trial information that is tailored to what parents consider important in making a decision about a clinical trial may improve recruitment practice and ultimately benefit evidence-based paediatric medicine.

Systematic review of safety in paediatric drug trials published in 2007

BACKGROUND

There is now greater involvement of children in drug trials to ensure that paediatric medicines are supported by sound scientific evidence. The safety of the participating children is of paramount importance. Previous research shows that these children can suffer moderate and severe adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in clinical trials, yet very few of the trials designated a data safety monitoring board (DSMB) to oversee the trial.

METHODS

Safety data from a systematic review of paediatric drug randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in 2007 were analysed. All reported adverse events (AEs) were classified and assessed to determine whether an ADR had been experienced. ADRs were then categorised according to severity. Each trial report was examined as to whether an independent DSMB was in place.

RESULTS

Of the 582 paediatric drug RCTs analysed, 210 (36%) reported that a serious AE had occurred, and in 15% mortality was reported. ADRs were detected in more than half of the RCTs (305); 66 (11%) were severe, and 79 (14%) were moderate. Severe ADRs involved a wide range of organ systems and were frequently associated with cytotoxic drugs, antiparasitics, anticonvulsants and psychotropic drugs. Two RCTs reported significantly higher mortality rates in the treatment group. Only 69 (12%) of the RCTs stated there was a DSMB. DSMBs terminated five RCTs and changed the protocol in one.

CONCLUSIONS

Children participating in drug RCTs experience a significant amount and a wide range of ADRs. DSMBs are needed to ensure the safety of paediatric participants in clinical drug trials.

Communication about children's clinical trials as observed and experienced: qualitative study of parents and practitioners

BACKGROUND

Recruiting children to clinical trials is perceived to be challenging. To identify ways to optimise recruitment and its conduct, we compared how parents and practitioners described their experiences of recruitment to clinical trials.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

This qualitative study ran alongside four children's clinical trials in 11 UK research sites. It compared analyses of semi-structured interviews with analyses of audio-recordings of practitioner-family dialogue during trial recruitment discussions. Parents from 59 families were interviewed; 41 had participated in audio-recorded recruitment discussions. 31 practitioners were interviewed. Parents said little in the recruitment discussions contributing a median 16% of the total dialogue and asking a median of one question. Despite this, parents reported a positive experience of the trial approach describing a sense of comfort and safety. Even if they declined or if the discussion took place at a difficult time, parents understood the need to approach them and spoke of the value of research. Some parents viewed participation as an 'exciting' opportunity. By contrast, practitioners often worried that approaching families about research burdened families. Some practitioners implied that recruiting to clinical trials was something which they found aversive. Many were also concerned about the amount of information they had to provide and believed this overwhelmed families. Whilst some practitioners thought the trial information leaflets were of little use to families, parents reported that they used and valued the leaflets. However, both parties agreed that the leaflets were too long and wanted them to be more reader-friendly.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents were more positive about being approached to enter their child into a clinical trial than practitioners anticipated. The concerns of some practitioners, that parents would be overburdened, were unfounded. Educating practitioners about how families perceive clinical trials and providing them with 'moral' support in approaching families may benefit paediatric research and, ultimately, patients.

Feasibility study to inform the design of a randomised controlled trial to eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in individuals with cystic fibrosis

BACKGROUND

There are controversies about the most effective treatment to eradicate first growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P aeruginosa) from the lower airways of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). UK guidelines recommend oral treatment, but some advocate intravenous (IV) treatment. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial comparing two treatment strategies to eradicate P aeruginosa in CF patients.

METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Two surveys were conducted. Survey [1] included clinicians who were responsible for the treatment of individuals with CF, to assess their clinical practice, opinions and numbers of potentially eligible patients. Survey [2] included adults and young people aged 13 years or more with CF and parents of children with CF aged less than 13 years, identified at six UK CF centres, who fulfilled eligibility criteria for the proposed clinical trial, to assess their views about the interventions and their willingness to participate in the trial. Generally clinicians treat first or new growth of P aeruginosa with oral antibiotics, but 90% reported that they would consider IV treatment of first isolation of P aeruginosa. 74% of clinicians would consider recruiting their patients and 45% of consumers would consider entry for themselves or their children into a trial comparing oral with intravenous antibiotics. The median rate per annum for first or new growths of P aeruginosa in adults was 3% (range 1% to 9%) and in children was 10% (range 3% to 23%). If the trial was conducted across the UK, with a consent rate of 45%, then the number of eligible patients per annum who would be willing to take part in a study would be approximately 41 adults and 203 children.

CONCLUSIONS

This work demonstrates the importance of feasibility studies in preparation for multicentre clinical trials. It confirmed the uncertainty amongst clinicians and patients about the clinical question, enabled assessment of the number of potentially eligible patients, the proportion of patients and clinicians prepared to participate and aspects of trial design which might encourage this. It showed that a clinical trial was feasible, but only if patients were recruited from across United Kingdom.