Focus Groups in Parkinson's disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Focus groups to assess perceptions and attitudes towards different therapies for Parkinson’s disease
IRAS ID
122816
Contact name
Roger Barker
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Cambridge
Research summary
The success of novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases not only depends on their scientific excellence, but also on how they deal with a number of ethical and socio-political challenges. Science cannot succeed without strong societal support and social understanding. Some novel treatments may involve invasive therapies or the use of human (fetal) tissue, and thus special ethical issues will arise relating to the clinical application of these treatments. This is especially applicable to the field of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which in the last 10-15 years has seen an increase in the number of studies investigating novel therapies. Currently, there is a lack of understanding on society’s views for the treatments for Parkinson’s disease. We aim to link science and society by conducting focus groups and gain more insight not only on what participants know and think about the treatment options for Parkinson’s disease, but also why they hold these opinions and what kind of emotions and fears are expressed during the discussion.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NE/0312
Date of REC Opinion
17 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion