Data from: Perceptions of research bronchoscopy in Malawian adults with pulmonary tuberculosis: a cross-sectional study.

Bronchoscopy is an established research tool in Malawi, enabling collection of pulmonary samples for immunological, pharmacological, and microbiological studies. It is, however, an invasive clinical procedure that offers no direct benefit to volunteering participants when used in a research capacity alone, and thus informed consent is essential. This study aimed to explore TB patients’ understanding of research bronchoscopy, what would motivate them to participate in research bronchoscopy, and their concerns, in order to inform consenting processes for future clinical studies.

We used a qualitative research design. Two focus group discussions were conducted with community members and TB patients to understand their perceptions of bronchoscopy. Transcripts were coded by multiple co-authors and thematic content analysis was used to analyse main findings.

We found that Malawian patients with pulmonary TB were willing to participate in a study using research bronchoscopy for health assessment and access to improved healthcare. We identified information of value to potential participants when consenting to help assuage some of the anxieties expressed by participants. Patient and public involvement is essential to improve informed consent and institutional trust.

支气管镜检查（Bronchoscopy）是马拉维地区一项成熟的研究工具，可采集肺部样本用于免疫学、药理学及微生物学相关研究。然而，该操作属于侵入性临床操作，若仅用于研究目的，则无法为志愿受试者带来直接获益，因此知情同意（informed consent）环节至关重要。本研究旨在探究结核病（Tuberculosis，以下简称TB）患者对研究用支气管镜检查的认知、参与此类研究的驱动因素及顾虑，以期为未来临床研究的知情同意流程提供参考。

本研究采用质性研究设计，联合社区居民与TB患者开展两场焦点小组讨论，以了解其对支气管镜检查的认知态度。研究转录文本由多名共同作者进行编码，并通过主题内容分析法对核心研究结果展开分析。

研究结果显示，马拉维的TB患者愿意参与基于研究用支气管镜检查的相关研究，以获取健康评估服务及更优质的医疗资源。本研究明确了在知情同意环节中可向潜在受试者提供的有效信息，有助于缓解受试者流露的部分焦虑情绪。患者与公众的参与对于完善知情同意流程、提升机构信任度至关重要。