Patients with chronic heart failure who agree to take part in clinical trials have a better prognosis than those who do not, according to a study reported in the November European Journal of Heart Failure.(1) The finding, say the authors, may even call into question the commonplace ethical requirement of most clinical trials that by choosing not to take part in the study a patient will not be disadvantaged.
The study was a follow-up of 2332 consecutive patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure at Castle Hill Hospital, Hull, UK. At their initial visit to the clinic all were asked if they would be willing to take part in clinical research projects. After a median follow-up of 55.7 months, analysis of the full cohort showed that 792 (34%) had died. However, survival was significantly associated with a willingness to take part in clinical trials, which more than halved the risk of death (hazard ratio 0.33).
