Factors that influence parents' decision making about enrolling their HIV-infected children in clinical research

As part of a larger project regarding the recruitment of HIV-infected children into clinical research protocols, we interviewed parents who brought their children to three urban pediatric HIV clinics that were affiliated with a Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (P-ACTU). The goals of our exploratory study were (1) to identify the factors parents of HIV-infected children consider before making the decision about whether to enroll their children in clinical research and (2) to examine contextual issues that may lead a parent to be influenced by particular factors in making this decision. Because most children are unable to provide informed consent, the parent must provide informed consent before a child can enroll in a clinical trial. It is important to explore the factors that parents consider before making decisions about enrollment, in order to understand their motivations for enrolling their children, and to identify potential barriers to fully informed decision making.