Patient willingness to participate, impact of barring social media
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Recruiting Participants in an Internet Age: Blockading Social Media, a Useful Option for Medical Research or a Practical No-Go.\n\nAn investigation into the perceptions of trial participants concerning clinical trials implementing measures to limit patient access to social media as part of data protection, in order to protect patient blinding; and determine whether these measures have a negative impact upon patient willingness to participate within clinical trials.
IRAS ID
196210
Contact name
Steven Brown
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Liverpool
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 28 days
Research summary
There are growing concerns over the potential for harm towards the scientific integrity of clinical research resulting from the use of social media by trial participants to reveal sensitive information about a study. Currently there are no governmental guidelines detailing the actions that sponsors must undertake to address concerns over participants sharing sensitive information. One potential method that could be employed to resolve such issues is that of simply approaching participants and requesting that they refrain from using forms of social media for the duration of clinical investigation, however at present there are no records of any investigation into determining patients perceptions of such an approach or study conducted into determining whether such measures would negatively impact upon patients willingness to participate within clinical studies.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
16/NS/0045
Date of REC Opinion
3 May 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion