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Knowing why parents decide to consent or dissent to participation of their child in pediatric clinical research is essential to further the ethical debate concerning pediatric research. We performed this qualitative focus group study with 16 parents from the Dutch general public to explore their perspectives on decisions to participate in pediatric clinical research. Group discussion revealed the following: Parents conflate clinical research and clinical care, they do not grasp the trajectory of pediatric drug development, their protectiveness matches current research guidelines, and benefit for their child is the most important factor in their decision. Research professionals should be aware of the knowledge gap of parents, the pitfalls of jargon, and unintended false expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses importance of trustworthiness and trusting relationships between patient-participants and research professionals in medical research. it mentions willingness to participate in clinical research, after observing informed-consent conversations between them and research professionals. it also mentions patient-participants do not always distinguish the separate roles of their treating physician and research professionals.

The article deals with the practice of gatekeeping by professionals in recruitment of pediatric research participants. It references the study "Young People's Experiences of Participation in Clinical Trials: Reasons for Taking Part" by M. Luchtenberg et al., published within the issue. Gatekeeping is defined as the reluctance of professionals to approach young people or their parents to participate in clinical trials. The reasons for gatekeeping and its negative implications are discussed.