Participant incentives in rehabilitation research: a pilot study of researchers' perspectives

BACKGROUND: Despite the use of research incentives in the recruitment and retention of participants for research studies, there remains debate over the acceptable use of participant incentives in research. There appears to be a paucity of guidelines that can assist researchers in demonstrating practically how incentives may be ethically used in research. OBJECTIVE: This single site pilot study explored the experiences of key stakeholders involved in rehabilitation research to highlight what may constitute acceptable practices for incentives. METHODS: A qualitative inquiry with use of semi-structured interviews with four key informants from a single site was undertaken. Data was audio-recorded and analysed thematically using deductive reasoning. RESULTS: The findings reflect a description of what incentives constitute; the issues around undue inducement and use of incentives in practice. Participants' offered their perceptions on perceived acceptable versus unacceptable practices in the use incentives in research. Participants shared their concern over research incentives being used to sway participation in research rather than reimburse participants for their expenses or offering a token of appreciation. CONCLUSION: There is a need for education of practitioners and researchers to develop skill to aid researchers to evaluate the ethical dilemmas related to the use of incentives in research.