Sharing clinical trial results with participants: important, expected and possible

Abstract Participants in clinical trials should be pro-actively offered the results of trials in which they have participated. This should be done in a way that is accessible and understandable for all participants. People who have taken part in research have a right to know the results of the studi...

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Main Authors: Annabelle South, Claire Bale, Enhad Chowdhury, Alexander Churchill, Kim Donoghue, Simon Grieveson, Charlotte Hartley, Catriona Manville, Angela Polanco, Kieran Prior, Sheona Scales, Kirstie Shearman, Mahesh K. B. Parmar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:Trials
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-08802-0
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author Annabelle South
Claire Bale
Enhad Chowdhury
Alexander Churchill
Kim Donoghue
Simon Grieveson
Charlotte Hartley
Catriona Manville
Angela Polanco
Kieran Prior
Sheona Scales
Kirstie Shearman
Mahesh K. B. Parmar
author_facet Annabelle South
Claire Bale
Enhad Chowdhury
Alexander Churchill
Kim Donoghue
Simon Grieveson
Charlotte Hartley
Catriona Manville
Angela Polanco
Kieran Prior
Sheona Scales
Kirstie Shearman
Mahesh K. B. Parmar
author_sort Annabelle South
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Participants in clinical trials should be pro-actively offered the results of trials in which they have participated. This should be done in a way that is accessible and understandable for all participants. People who have taken part in research have a right to know the results of the studies in which they have taken part and should be given the option of receiving these results. Most trial participants want to receive the overall results. Key reasons for sharing results include respecting participants’ contributions, enhancing their understanding of research benefits, increasing transparency, and potentially improving recruitment and retention. We propose 8 principles to guide sharing of results with trial participants: 1. Trial teams should pro-actively offer overall study results to all clinical trial participants, irrespective of what the results show. 2. Participants should be given the choice of whether to receive research results. 3. Results should be offered to participants in a timely manner. 4. Trial teams should manage participants’ expectations around when the results will be available. 5. Results should be offered in a way that is accessible to participants, both in terms of the communication mechanism and the content. 6. Patient and public involvement is essential in sharing results with participants. 7. Sharing results with participants requires resources. 8. Consideration needs to be given to potential barriers/challenges to sharing results with participants from the planning stage of the study.
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spelling doaj-art-c4129b45639f4e2f973898d4cd080a7c2025-08-20T01:54:30ZengBMCTrials1745-62152025-03-012611410.1186/s13063-025-08802-0Sharing clinical trial results with participants: important, expected and possibleAnnabelle South0Claire Bale1Enhad Chowdhury2Alexander Churchill3Kim Donoghue4Simon Grieveson5Charlotte Hartley6Catriona Manville7Angela Polanco8Kieran Prior9Sheona Scales10Kirstie Shearman11Mahesh K. B. Parmar12MRC CTU at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, UCLParkinson’s UKVersus ArthritisDepartment of Health and Social CareWellcome TrustProstate Cancer UKMRC CTU at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, UCLAssociation of Medical Research CharitiesNational Institute for Health and Care ResearchCancer Research UKAlzheimer’s Research UKHealth Research AuthorityMRC CTU at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, UCLAbstract Participants in clinical trials should be pro-actively offered the results of trials in which they have participated. This should be done in a way that is accessible and understandable for all participants. People who have taken part in research have a right to know the results of the studies in which they have taken part and should be given the option of receiving these results. Most trial participants want to receive the overall results. Key reasons for sharing results include respecting participants’ contributions, enhancing their understanding of research benefits, increasing transparency, and potentially improving recruitment and retention. We propose 8 principles to guide sharing of results with trial participants: 1. Trial teams should pro-actively offer overall study results to all clinical trial participants, irrespective of what the results show. 2. Participants should be given the choice of whether to receive research results. 3. Results should be offered to participants in a timely manner. 4. Trial teams should manage participants’ expectations around when the results will be available. 5. Results should be offered in a way that is accessible to participants, both in terms of the communication mechanism and the content. 6. Patient and public involvement is essential in sharing results with participants. 7. Sharing results with participants requires resources. 8. Consideration needs to be given to potential barriers/challenges to sharing results with participants from the planning stage of the study.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-08802-0Research ethicsTransparencyFeedback of resultsCommunicating resultsResearcher-participant relationsTrial conduct
spellingShingle Annabelle South
Claire Bale
Enhad Chowdhury
Alexander Churchill
Kim Donoghue
Simon Grieveson
Charlotte Hartley
Catriona Manville
Angela Polanco
Kieran Prior
Sheona Scales
Kirstie Shearman
Mahesh K. B. Parmar
Sharing clinical trial results with participants: important, expected and possible
Trials
Research ethics
Transparency
Feedback of results
Communicating results
Researcher-participant relations
Trial conduct
title Sharing clinical trial results with participants: important, expected and possible
title_full Sharing clinical trial results with participants: important, expected and possible
title_fullStr Sharing clinical trial results with participants: important, expected and possible
title_full_unstemmed Sharing clinical trial results with participants: important, expected and possible
title_short Sharing clinical trial results with participants: important, expected and possible
title_sort sharing clinical trial results with participants important expected and possible
topic Research ethics
Transparency
Feedback of results
Communicating results
Researcher-participant relations
Trial conduct
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-08802-0
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