OBJECTIVE To explore the opinions of unpaid healthy volunteers on the payment of research subjects. DESIGN Prospective cohort. SETTING Southern Alberta, Canada. PARTICIPANTS Medically eligible persons responding to recruiting advertisements for a randomised vaccine trial were invited to take part in a study of informed consent at the point at which they formally consented or refused trial...

Offering payment to clinical research subjects, in an effort to enhance recruitment by providing an incentive to take part or enabling subjects to participate without financial sacrifice, is a common yet uneven and contentious practice in the US. Concern exists regarding the potential for payment to unduly influence participation and thus obscure risks, impair judgment, or encourage misrepresen...