Health
Minority participation in clinical trials found to be an issue of access
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 26, 2005
The lower rate of involvement of African-American and Latino patients in clinical trials seems to be less a matter of a lack of interest or trust in the research system and more an issue of access, according to a review of literature published online this month in Public Library of Science Medicine.
National Institute of Health researchers analyzed 20 studies involving more than 70,000 patients and found minorities agreed to participate at a rate similar to Caucasians. The rate at which those from minority groups were invited to contribute, however, differed significantly.
The authors suggest that efforts to increase minority participation in clinical trials might be more effective if the emphasis shifts from changing patient attitudes to ensuring that awareness of the trials becomes more widespread while eliminating other barriers.
"The big take-home message here is ... not the attitudes of African-Americans and other minorities," said Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, one of the review's authors and chair of the NIH Clinical Center's Dept. of Clinical Bioethics. "The main barrier is access, knowledge that these studies exist, eligibility criteria that ensure minorities can participate and overcoming logistical barriers."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/12/26/hlbf1226.htm.
