Table 2 Description of participant’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices in research ethics
|  |  | N = 924 | (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Â | knowledge assessment | |||
Knowledge | Know the correct definition of ethics in medical research | 463 | 50.1% | |
know there is a Moroccan law governing research ethics | 386 | 41.8% | ||
know that the law which governs the ethics of medical research in Morocco is law n ° 28 − 13 (N = 386) | 21 | 5.4% | ||
know the reference documents in ethics of medical research | 345 | 37.3% | ||
know the fundamental principles of ethics in medical research | 421 | 45.6% | ||
know that it is mandatory to obtain informed consent from study participants | 752 | 81.4% | ||
know that patients should be informed of all the potential risks of a study | 616 | 66.7% | ||
know that vulnerable groups (children, mentally ill) cannot themselves give their informed consent | 621 | 67.2% | ||
know that a vulnerable person cannot be included in research in the absence of their legal representative who must give informed consent on their behalf | 621 | 67.2% | ||
know that the use of anonymous data is a means of protecting the privacy and confidentiality of research participants | 669 | 72.4% | ||
know that informed consent includes the right of subjects to withdraw him/herself from the study at any time | 701 | 75.9% | ||
know that the risks and benefits of research should be shared equally among study participants | 732 | 79.2% | ||
know that researchers can not in any way exclude people from participating in a research project because of their characteristics (culture, language, etc.) | 596 | 64.5% | ||
know that researchers must specify the reasons of exclusions of certain groups from their research project to their ethics committees | 638 | 69% | ||
know that confidentiality is broken if a researcher discloses information that puts the participant at risk of injury/harm / illness | 777 | 84.1% | ||
know that a person lacking autonomy should be reassessed regularly | 665 | 72% | ||
know that there are ethics committees in Morocco | 501 | 54.2% | ||
know that there is an ethics committee within the faculty | 530 | 57.4% | ||
know the functions attributable to the medical research ethics committee | 435 | 47.1% | ||
Knowledge score | High | 376 | 40.7% | |
Low | 548 | 59.3% | ||
| Â | Physicians, in case of participating in a research study, should: | |||
Attitudes | always ask for permission or inform the participant before the his/her inclusion in the study | 775 | 83.9% | |
Maintain the confidentiality of participant information to the extent possible, except in situations where there is a risk of harm to others | 760 | 82.3% | ||
Keep the informed consent forms locked and separate from research files to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the participant | 734 | 79.4% | ||
Explain informed consent to the participant in their local language | 765 | 82.8% | ||
inform the research participants if they will be compensated in the event of injury due to the protocol | 666 | 72.1% | ||
Inform the participants of complete information on the research protocol (duration, risks, etc.) | 716 | 77.5% | ||
Require an informed consent when using their biological samples in research | 644 | 69.7% | ||
Not conducting research on a vulnerable subject when it can be conducted on a normal subject. | 686 | 74.2% | ||
Not seeking the decision to participate in research from vulnerable subjects | 643 | 69.6% | ||
Requesting the mandatory presence of a legal representative during the informed consent process for vulnerable persons | 680 | 73.6% | ||
Not recommending the participation of patients in medical research when under financial, administrative, hierarchical or political pressure. | 655 | 70.9% | ||
Not be agree to inappropriately alter or suppress the results of research as a result of financial, administrative, hierarchical or political pressure or inducement | 686 | 74.2% | ||
Inform participants in medical research of the existence of any conflict of interest and how it is managed. | 596 | 64.5% | ||
Agree to be supervised by ethics committees | 824 | 89.2% | ||
Attitudes score | Adequate attitudes | 636 | 68.8% | |
Inadequate attitudes | 288 | 31.2% | ||
|  | Practices in research ethics among participants who have already participated in medical research (N = 119) | |||
Practices | Have requested informed consent during my researches | 96 | 80.7% | |
Have already explained to the participants that they are taking part in a research-based study | 87 | 73.1% | ||
Requested informed consent from participants in their local language | 86 | 72.3%) | ||
Have requested informed consent from the guardian or legal representative of a vulnerable participant (N = 117) | 32 | 27.4%) | ||
Practices score (N = 117) | Adequate practices | 29.4 | 29.9% | |
| Â | Inadequate practices | 68.9 | 70.1% | |