Randomized Evaluation of Trial Acceptability by INcentive (RETAIN)

Paying patients to enroll in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) could dramatically improve the pace and scientific validity with which new interventions for cancer and other diseases are tested, but the practice raises important ethical concerns. To inform the regulation of research incentives and reduce undue variability in their use, the research team is conducting a randomized trial of three real incentives for patients meeting clinical eligibility criteria across three RCTs at five large academic health centers. The trial’s innovative design will enable definitive tests of how patients make research decisions in the face of money, and will provide the best possible evidence regarding the scientific and ethical pros and cons of incentives for research participation.

Sponsors

• National Cancer Institute