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Fehr A, Nieto-Sanchez C, Muela J, Manneh E, Baldeh D, Ceesay O, D’Alessandro U, Dabira E, Kingori P, Grietens KP, Bardají A, Bunders-Aelen J, Zuiderent-Jerak T. Doing 'reciprocity work': The role of fieldworkers in a mass drug administration trial in the Gambia. Glob Public Health 2022; 17:4116-4128. [PMID: 36183416 PMCID: PMC7614349 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2022.2125998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In their roles as nurses, data collectors, or other, fieldworkers undertake myriad tasks working intimately with and on the bodies of others - a type of work called 'body work'. This work further includes the micro-political relations shaping these interactions, and studies have shown the importance of these relationships in the success of clinical trials, particularly in the Gambia. This study seeks to expand the concept of body work to understand the roles and interactions of fieldworkers within the trial community, and the effect on a mass drug administration (MDA) clinical trial. We conducted a mixed-methods social science study alongside the MDA in 2018-2019, including in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and semi-structured observations with the population involved (and not) in the MDA, as well as the MRC fieldworkers. We found that fieldworkers participated in what we call 'reciprocity work'. Through their regular tasks and interactions, they necessarily showed respect and established trust in a way that formed and contributed to reciprocal relationships, the results of which impacted the trial and individuals' autonomy in the decision-making process. Understanding the role of fieldworkers and their reciprocity work is a vital component in comprehending how research ethics are made and conducted in global health research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Fehr
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Claudia Nieto-Sanchez
- Unit of Socio-Ecological Health Research, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Joan Muela
- Medical Anthropology Research Centre, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Ebrima Manneh
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Dullo Baldeh
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Omar Ceesay
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia, Banjul, Gambia
| | | | - Edgard Dabira
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia, Banjul, Gambia
| | | | - Koen Peeters Grietens
- Unit of Socio-Ecological Health Research, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Azucena Bardají
- IS Global, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona, Spain
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Nguyen TT, Nguyen XX, Wilson-Barthes M, Sawada I, Muela J, Hausmann-Muela S, Pham TV, Van Nguyen H, Van Nguyen V, Tran DT, Gryseels C, D'Alessandro U, Grietens KP, Erhart A. Why using bed nets is a challenge among minority populations in Central Vietnam. Malar J 2022; 21:87. [PMID: 35292018 PMCID: PMC8922825 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04114-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite freely distributed insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and health information campaigns to increase their use among populations at risk, malaria transmission persists in forested areas in Vietnam, especially among ethnic minority communities. A mixed-methods study was conducted in four villages of Ca Dong and M'nong ethnicity in Central Vietnam between 2009 and 2011 to assess factors limiting the uptake of ITNs. METHODS The mixed-methods research design consisted of a qualitative study to explore the context and barriers to ITN use, and a cross-sectional household survey (n = 141) to quantify factors for limited and appropriate net use. RESULTS The Ca Dong and M'nong's livelihood was dependent on swidden farming in the forest. Poverty-related factors, including the lack of beds, blankets, the practice of sleeping around the kitchen fire and deteriorated ITNs due to open housing structures, were reasons for alternative and non-use of ITNs. When household members stayed overnight in plot huts at fields, ITNs were even more unavailable and easily deteriorated. 72.5% of households reported having received one net for every two persons, and 82.2% of participants reported to have used ITNs the night before the survey. However, only 18.4% of participants were estimated to be effectively protected by ITNs after accounting for the availability of torn ITNs and the way ITNs were used, for example as blankets, at both village and fields. Multi-variable logistic regression showed the effect of four significant factors for appropriate ITN use: i) being female (AOR = 8.08; p = 0.009); ii) aware of mosquito bites as the sole cause of malaria (AOR = 7.43; p = 0.008); iii) not sleeping around the kitchen fire (AOR = 24.57; p = 0.001); and iv) having sufficient number of ITNs in the household (AOR = 21.69; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION This study showed how social factors rooted in poverty and swidden agriculture limited the effective use of ITNs, despite high coverage, among ethnic minority populations in Central Vietnam. An in-depth understanding of the local context is essential to develop specific indicators for measuring ITN use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuan Thi Nguyen
- Socio-Ecological Health Research Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. .,National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
| | - Xa Xuan Nguyen
- National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Marta Wilson-Barthes
- International Health Institute, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, USA
| | - Ikumi Sawada
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Joan Muela
- University Ramon I Virgili, Tarragona, Spain.,Partners for Applied Social Sciences, PASS International, Tessenderlo, Belgium
| | | | - Thanh Vinh Pham
- National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Hong Van Nguyen
- National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | | | - Duong Thanh Tran
- National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Charlotte Gryseels
- Socio-Ecological Health Research Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Umberto D'Alessandro
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Koen Peeters Grietens
- Socio-Ecological Health Research Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.,Partners for Applied Social Sciences, PASS International, Tessenderlo, Belgium.,School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Annette Erhart
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
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Fehr A, Muela J, Nieto-Sanchez C, Manneh E, Baldeh D, Ceesay O, Bardají A, Zuiderent-Jerak T, Bunders-Aelen J. The role of social cohesion in the implementation and coverage of a mass drug administration trial for malaria control in the Gambia: An in-depth comparison of two intervention villages. Soc Sci Med 2021; 291:114487. [PMID: 34715624 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Mass drug administration (MDA), used increasingly in malaria eradication efforts, involves administering medication to an entire target population regardless of individual-level disease status. This strategy requires high levels of coverage and compliance. Previous studies have assessed individual and structural factors affecting MDA coverage, but there is a need to better understand the influence and expressions of community dynamics and social structures, such as social cohesion. We conducted a social science study concurrent to an MDA clinical trial for malaria control in The Gambia; ethnographic research was conducted prior to, throughout, and between MDA implementation July-November 2018, January-March 2019, and July-November 2019. We assessed how social cohesion, as expressed by the trial population, affects trial coverage through an in-depth ethnographic analysis of two trial villages, using observations, interviews, and focus group discussions with community members who took the trial medication and those who did not. We found that the villages had unique expressions of social cohesion. This was reflected through community participation in the trial implementation and may have affected coverage and compliance. The village with low coverage expressed a form of social cohesion where members followed advice to participate through a hierarchal system but did not actively participate in the MDA or its implementation. The village with high coverage expressed social cohesion as more participatory: individuals took the directive to participate but contextualized the trial implementation to their needs and wants. We analyze these different expressions of social cohesion and the important differences they make for the coverage and compliance levels reached in the two different villages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Fehr
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universitiet Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Socio-Ecological Health Research Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Kronenburgstraat 43, 2000, Antwerpen, Belgium; Medical Anthropology Research Center, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Carrer de l'Escorxador, 43003, Tarragona, Spain.
| | - Joan Muela
- Medical Anthropology Research Center, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Carrer de l'Escorxador, 43003, Tarragona, Spain.
| | - Claudia Nieto-Sanchez
- Socio-Ecological Health Research Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Kronenburgstraat 43, 2000, Antwerpen, Belgium.
| | - Ebrima Manneh
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Blvd, Serrekunda, Gambia.
| | - Dullo Baldeh
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Blvd, Serrekunda, Gambia.
| | - Omar Ceesay
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Blvd, Serrekunda, Gambia.
| | - Azucena Bardají
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health - Campus Clinic, Hospital Clinic - Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer Rosselló, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Teun Zuiderent-Jerak
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universitiet Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Joske Bunders-Aelen
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universitiet Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Broekhuizen H, Fehr A, Nieto-Sanchez C, Muela J, Peeters-Grietens K, Smekens T, Kalleh M, Rijndertse E, Achan J, D'Alessandro U. Costs and barriers faced by households seeking malaria treatment in the Upper River Region, The Gambia. Malar J 2021; 20:368. [PMID: 34530823 PMCID: PMC8447575 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03898-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria transmission in The Gambia decreased substantially over the last 20 years thanks to the scale-up of control interventions. However, malaria prevalence is still relatively high in eastern Gambia and represents both a health and a financial burden for households. This study aims to quantify the out-of-pocket costs and productivity losses of seeking malaria treatment at household level. METHODS A household survey was carried out through in-person interviews. Respondents were asked about malaria prevention methods, their treatment-seeking behaviour, and any costs incurred for transport, services, food, and/or overnight stays. A bottom-up costing approach was used to calculate the unit cost of treatment and a tobit regression approach to investigate cost drivers. RESULTS The survey included 864 respondents, mainly subsistence farmers. Most respondents (87%) considered malaria to be a problem affecting their ability to perform their regular duties. Respondents preferred going to a health facility for treatment. The primary reason for not going was related to costs; 70% of respondents incurred costs for seeking health care, with a median of £3.62 (IQR: £1.73 to £6.10). The primary driver of cost was living in one of the villages that are off the main road and/or far from health facilities. 66% reported productivity loss of 5 working days on average during a malaria episode of them or their child. CONCLUSIONS Although malaria prevalence is decreasing and treatment is provided free of charge, households seeking treatment are confronted with out-of-pocket expenditures and lost working days; particularly in remote villages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henk Broekhuizen
- Dept. Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. .,Dept. Health and Society, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Alexandra Fehr
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Medical Anthropology Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Claudia Nieto-Sanchez
- Medical Anthropology Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Koen Peeters-Grietens
- Medical Anthropology Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.,School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Tom Smekens
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Esmé Rijndertse
- Dept. Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jane Achan
- MRC The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia.,Malaria Research Consortium, London, UK
| | - Umberto D'Alessandro
- MRC The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
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5
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Fehr A, Nieto-Sanchez C, Muela J, Jaiteh F, Ceesay O, Maneh E, Baldeh D, Achan J, Dabira E, Conteh B, Bunders-Aelen J, Smekens T, Broekhuizen H, D'Alessandro U, Peeters Grietens K. From informed consent to adherence: factors influencing involvement in mass drug administration with ivermectin for malaria elimination in The Gambia. Malar J 2021; 20:198. [PMID: 33902611 PMCID: PMC8073909 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03732-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consideration of mass drug administration (MDA) for malaria control in low-endemic settings approaching elimination. However, MDA remains a controversial strategy, as multiple individual, social, and operational factors have shown to affect its acceptability at local levels. This is further complicated by inconsistent definitions of key indicators derived from individual and community involvement—coverage, adherence, and compliance—that cast doubts about the actual and potential epidemiological impact of MDA on disease control and elimination. This study aimed to identify limitations and enabling factors impacting involvement at different stages of a large cluster-randomized trial assessing the effect of combining dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) and ivermectin (IVM) in malaria transmission in The Gambia. Methods This social science study used a mixed-methods approach. Qualitative data were collected in intervention and control villages through ethnographic methods, including in-depth interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), and participant observation conducted with trial participants and decliners, community leaders, and field staff. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the intervention villages after the first year of MDA. Both strands of the study explored malaria knowledge and opinions, social dynamics influencing decision-making, as well as perceived risks, burdens, and benefits associated with this MDA. Results 157 IDIs and 11 FGDs were conducted, and 864 respondents were included in the survey. Barriers and enabling factors to involvement were differentially influential at the various stages of the MDA. Issues of social influence, concerns regarding secondary effects of the medication, costs associated with malaria, and acceptability of the implementing organization, among other factors, differently affected the decision-making processes throughout the trial. Rather than a linear trajectory, involvement in this MDA trial was subjected to multiple revaluations from enrolment and consent to medicine intake and adherence to treatment. Conclusions This study went beyond the individual factors often associated with coverage and adherence, and found that nuanced social dynamics greatly influence the decision-making process at all phases of the trial. These issues need to be consider for MDA implementation strategies and inform discussions about more accurate ways of reporting on critical effectiveness indicators. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-021-03732-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Fehr
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Claudia Nieto-Sanchez
- Unit of Socio-Ecological Health Research, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Joan Muela
- Medical Anthropology Research Center, Universitat Rovira I Virgill, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Fatou Jaiteh
- Unit of Socio-Ecological Health Research, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Omar Ceesay
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Ebrima Maneh
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Dullo Baldeh
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Jane Achan
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Edgard Dabira
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Bakary Conteh
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | | | - Tom Smekens
- Unit of Socio-Ecological Health Research, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Umberto D'Alessandro
- Medical Research Council Unit Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Koen Peeters Grietens
- Unit of Socio-Ecological Health Research, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
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Koullapis P, Kassinos SC, Muela J, Perez-Segarra C, Rigola J, Lehmkuhl O, Cui Y, Sommerfeld M, Elcner J, Jicha M, Saveljic I, Filipovic N, Lizal F, Nicolaou L. Regional aerosol deposition in the human airways: The SimInhale benchmark case and a critical assessment of in silico methods. Eur J Pharm Sci 2017; 113:77-94. [PMID: 28890203 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Regional deposition effects are important in the pulmonary delivery of drugs intended for the topical treatment of respiratory ailments. They also play a critical role in the systemic delivery of drugs with limited lung bioavailability. In recent years, significant improvements in the quality of pulmonary imaging have taken place, however the resolution of current imaging modalities remains inadequate for quantifying regional deposition. Computational Fluid-Particle Dynamics (CFPD) can fill this gap by providing detailed information about regional deposition in the extrathoracic and conducting airways. It is therefore not surprising that the last 15years have seen an exponential growth in the application of CFPD methods in this area. Survey of the recent literature however, reveals a wide variability in the range of modelling approaches used and in the assumptions made about important physical processes taking place during aerosol inhalation. The purpose of this work is to provide a concise critical review of the computational approaches used to date, and to present a benchmark case for validation of future studies in the upper airways. In the spirit of providing the wider community with a reference for quality assurance of CFPD studies, in vitro deposition measurements have been conducted in a human-based model of the upper airways, and several groups within MP1404 SimInhale have computed the same case using a variety of simulation and discretization approaches. Here, we report the results of this collaborative effort and provide a critical discussion of the performance of the various simulation methods. The benchmark case, in vitro deposition data and in silico results will be published online and made available to the wider community. Particle image velocimetry measurements of the flow, as well as additional numerical results from the community, will be appended to the online database as they become available in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Koullapis
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - S C Kassinos
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - J Muela
- Heat and Mass Transfer Technological Centre, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Terrassa, Spain
| | - C Perez-Segarra
- Heat and Mass Transfer Technological Centre, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Terrassa, Spain
| | - J Rigola
- Heat and Mass Transfer Technological Centre, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Terrassa, Spain
| | - O Lehmkuhl
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Y Cui
- Chair of Applied Mechanics, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
| | - M Sommerfeld
- Institute of Process Engineering, Otto von Guericke-University Magdeburg, Halle, Germany
| | - J Elcner
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - M Jicha
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - I Saveljic
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - N Filipovic
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - F Lizal
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - L Nicolaou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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7
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Paré Toe L, Ravinetto RM, Dierickx S, Gryseels C, Tinto H, Rouamba N, Diallo I, Cissao Y, Bayala K, Hausmann S, Muela J, D’Alessandro U, Peeters Grietens K. Could the decision of trial participation precede the informed consent process? Evidence from Burkina Faso. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80800. [PMID: 24260484 PMCID: PMC3829938 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2013] [Accepted: 10/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the last years, the number of clinical trials carried out in low-income countries with poor medical infrastructure and limited access to health care has increased. In these settings, the decision of participating in a clinical study may be influenced by factors related to participants' vulnerability that limit the efficacy of the informed consent. METHODS A mixed methods social science study, based on the triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data, was carried out in a socio-economically disadvantaged and semi-urban area of Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. The study aimed at assessing the relevance of the informed consent procedure on the decision-making process of the parents and/or guardians of potential participants in a pediatric malaria trial. RESULTS For most parents (70.4%), the decision of participating had already been taken before undergoing the informed consent process and was based on the information conveyed through the community. Access to free and good quality health care often inspired this decision. In addition, the parents' willingness to have their child included in the trial made them develop active strategies to achieve this purpose. DISCUSSION In a context of socio-economic vulnerability and poor access to free health care, the process of informed consent does not always accomplish its goal of informing people and enabling them to make a free and informed decision. This information role is somehow anticipated by the community and trial participation becomes a strategic action to secure otherwise unavailable health resources leading community members to decide on participation even prior to the informed consent process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Paré Toe
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS)/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Raffaella M. Ravinetto
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Catholic University (KU), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Susan Dierickx
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Gryseels
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Halidou Tinto
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS)/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Noèl Rouamba
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS)/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Ibrahim Diallo
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS)/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Yacouba Cissao
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS)/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Korotimi Bayala
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS)/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Susanna Hausmann
- Partners for Applied Social Sciences (PASS) International, Tessenderlo, Belgium
| | - Joan Muela
- Partners for Applied Social Sciences (PASS) International, Tessenderlo, Belgium
| | - Umberto D’Alessandro
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Disease Control & Elimination Theme, Medical Research Council, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Koen Peeters Grietens
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Partners for Applied Social Sciences (PASS) International, Tessenderlo, Belgium
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