Abstract
BackgroundCommunity Advisory Boards (CAB) have become essential organs of involving communities in HIV clinical trials especially in developing countries. However, limited empirical evidence exists on the role of CABs in low and middle-income countries including Tanzania. This study aims at exploring the role of CABs in community-based HIV clinical trials conducted in Tanzania.MethodologyWe adopted a phenomenological approach to purposefully select HIV clinical trial stakeholders. These included CAB members, researchers and Institutional Review Board (IRB) members in Tanzania. We conducted In-depth Interviews (IDIs) with ten participants and three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with eighteen participants. The data were thematically analyzed with the aid of MAXQDA software version 20.2.1.ResultsThe findings indicate that at every stage of implementation of a community-based HIV clinical trial, a functioning CAB is important for its success. This importance is based on contextualization of the informed consent process and protocol, managing rumours in the community, weighing trial risks and benefits, sensitizing the community, assisting participant recruitment, tracing and retention. However, being perceived as financial beneficiaries than community representatives emerged as a challenge to CAB members.ConclusionThe study empirically indicates the need for functioning CABs in every stage of implementation of community-based HIV clinical trials. The roles of which are interwoven in serving research goals and protecting the interests of the community and that of trial participants.
Highlights
The need for integration of community and participant’s voices into research cannot be overstressed [1, 2]
The findings indicate that at every stage of implementation of a community-based Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinical trial, a functioning community advisory boards (CABs) is important for its success
The study empirically indicates the need for functioning CABs in every stage of implementation of community-based HIV clinical trials
Summary
The need for integration of community and participant’s voices into research cannot be overstressed [1, 2]. As CABs continue to be emphasized and used as a means to protect research populations ( in addition to ethics committees), their role has received less attention in low and middle-income countries including Tanzania. For Tanzania, the Ministry of Health recommends between 10 and 15 members one of which should be a representative from the research team for coordination [10] This number is not legally binding lather it varies based on the discretion of the researcher. We aimed to explore the roles of CABs in communitybased HIV clinical trials conducted in Tanzania. Community Advisory Boards (CAB) have become essential organs of involving communities in HIV clinical trials especially in developing countries.
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