Understanding the Practical and Psychological Barriers to Clinical Trial Diversity and Accessibility

Kristin L Parkhurst, Amy Froment Global Trial Optimization, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USACorrespondence: Kristin L Parkhurst, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA, Tel +1-914-847-8795, Email kristin.parkhurst@regeneron.comPurpo...

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Main Authors: Parkhurst KL, Froment A
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2024-12-01
Series:Open Access Journal of Clinical Trials
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Online Access:https://www.dovepress.com/understanding-the-practical-and-psychological-barriers-to-clinical-tri-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OAJCT
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author Parkhurst KL
Froment A
author_facet Parkhurst KL
Froment A
author_sort Parkhurst KL
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description Kristin L Parkhurst, Amy Froment Global Trial Optimization, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USACorrespondence: Kristin L Parkhurst, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA, Tel +1-914-847-8795, Email kristin.parkhurst@regeneron.comPurpose: It is crucial to have diverse trial populations to assess the effectiveness of treatments in different patient groups. The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the motivations and barriers to clinical trial participation of potential patients and provide possible solutions to removing these barriers.Patients and Methods: Participants across nine countries, with a variety of ethnic and gender identities, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds were included. Potential participants were alerted to the survey via an awareness campaign which included a link to a landing page providing additional information, and the opportunity to sign consent and complete a survey. Survey questions were written to explore how culture, identity, and background influence participant attitudes toward clinical trials. Input into question format was sought from a cross-functional, international team.Results: A total of 3858 participants “true completers” completed all questions in the survey. Of the “true completers” 72.5% of participants said that they would be willing to participate in a clinical trial, but only 23.9% of participants had done so before. The most common barrier to participation was fear of side effects (42.1%) followed by lack of knowledge of clinical trials (23.1%). Financial barriers were also identified, including “potential travel costs” (27.8%) and “a lack of financial compensation apart from travel costs” (24.4%). Survey respondents from minority groups showed a high willingness to participate, with 69.9% of participants who identified as women, 72.7% of LGBTQ+ participants and 96.1% of Black participants expressing an interest in participating in a clinical trial.Conclusion: This survey suggested that insufficient trial enrollment is due to the presence of barriers, rather than an absence of motivation to participate, and should be used to inform new strategies for increasing the diversity of patient populations in clinical trials and making trial participation more widely accessible.Keywords: survey, motivations, socioeconomic, LGBTQ+, gender, race
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spelling doaj-art-eca12dfd160943ccac381f91f52d77ac2025-08-20T02:50:24ZengDove Medical PressOpen Access Journal of Clinical Trials1179-15192024-12-01Volume 16495598251Understanding the Practical and Psychological Barriers to Clinical Trial Diversity and AccessibilityParkhurst KLFroment AKristin L Parkhurst, Amy Froment Global Trial Optimization, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USACorrespondence: Kristin L Parkhurst, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA, Tel +1-914-847-8795, Email kristin.parkhurst@regeneron.comPurpose: It is crucial to have diverse trial populations to assess the effectiveness of treatments in different patient groups. The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the motivations and barriers to clinical trial participation of potential patients and provide possible solutions to removing these barriers.Patients and Methods: Participants across nine countries, with a variety of ethnic and gender identities, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds were included. Potential participants were alerted to the survey via an awareness campaign which included a link to a landing page providing additional information, and the opportunity to sign consent and complete a survey. Survey questions were written to explore how culture, identity, and background influence participant attitudes toward clinical trials. Input into question format was sought from a cross-functional, international team.Results: A total of 3858 participants “true completers” completed all questions in the survey. Of the “true completers” 72.5% of participants said that they would be willing to participate in a clinical trial, but only 23.9% of participants had done so before. The most common barrier to participation was fear of side effects (42.1%) followed by lack of knowledge of clinical trials (23.1%). Financial barriers were also identified, including “potential travel costs” (27.8%) and “a lack of financial compensation apart from travel costs” (24.4%). Survey respondents from minority groups showed a high willingness to participate, with 69.9% of participants who identified as women, 72.7% of LGBTQ+ participants and 96.1% of Black participants expressing an interest in participating in a clinical trial.Conclusion: This survey suggested that insufficient trial enrollment is due to the presence of barriers, rather than an absence of motivation to participate, and should be used to inform new strategies for increasing the diversity of patient populations in clinical trials and making trial participation more widely accessible.Keywords: survey, motivations, socioeconomic, LGBTQ+, gender, racehttps://www.dovepress.com/understanding-the-practical-and-psychological-barriers-to-clinical-tri-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OAJCTsurveymotivationssocioeconomiclgbtq+genderrace
spellingShingle Parkhurst KL
Froment A
Understanding the Practical and Psychological Barriers to Clinical Trial Diversity and Accessibility
Open Access Journal of Clinical Trials
survey
motivations
socioeconomic
lgbtq+
gender
race
title Understanding the Practical and Psychological Barriers to Clinical Trial Diversity and Accessibility
title_full Understanding the Practical and Psychological Barriers to Clinical Trial Diversity and Accessibility
title_fullStr Understanding the Practical and Psychological Barriers to Clinical Trial Diversity and Accessibility
title_full_unstemmed Understanding the Practical and Psychological Barriers to Clinical Trial Diversity and Accessibility
title_short Understanding the Practical and Psychological Barriers to Clinical Trial Diversity and Accessibility
title_sort understanding the practical and psychological barriers to clinical trial diversity and accessibility
topic survey
motivations
socioeconomic
lgbtq+
gender
race
url https://www.dovepress.com/understanding-the-practical-and-psychological-barriers-to-clinical-tri-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OAJCT
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