fbpx Skip to main content

Randomized clinical trials are an essential component of the development and proper deployment of novel therapies. However, there are many disparities in access to and participation in clinical trials throughout the United States.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in large-scale destabilization, which has extended to clinical trials. This article, published in Ethnicity & Disease, describes how COVID-19 has affected diversity in clinical trials.

The researchers divide the impact of COVID-19 on clinical trials into two main categories: systemic and personal. They note that there are many factors currently influencing the participation rates of diverse populations in clinical trial research.

These factors include communication difficulties, distrust, lack of access, perceptions of research, recruitment strategies, and socioeconomic background. Rather than creating new barriers to entry for these populations, the researchers suggest that the pandemic is exacerbating current barriers.

One major source of disparity noted in the article is that clinical trials are often performed in academic medical centers, which are utilized less by communities of color. As a result, these institutions must be able to engage with these communities in a more direct manner. The researchers also note that more transparent communication and improved access to resources such as transportation can increase participation rates [1].

Source:

[1] Lackland, D. T., Sims-Robinson, C., Jones Buie, J. N., & Voeks, J. H. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on Clinical Research and Inclusion of Diverse Populations. Ethnicity & Disease, 30(3), 429–432. https://doi.org/10.18865/ed.30.3.429

You May Also Like::  Disparities Among Cancer Survivors in Clinical Trials Participation

“Keeping up with the indications and adverse reactions to immune checkpoint inhibitors can be a full-time job. Cutaneous side effects occur in up to 45% of patients treated with ipilimumab and 34% of patients treated with nivolumab and pembrolizumab.” https://bit.ly/3FGtxtd

.@spfnomt: This month’s #DermWorld article “Estate planning 101” is especially important for young physicians to read. The long, all-consuming years between adolescence and physicianhood can become a blur...https://bit.ly/3FxOtCv

That’s a wrap #AAD2023! 5 days of soaking up knowledge from dermatologists on topics such as hidradenitis, melasma, & dietary triggers of common dermatoses.

I LOVED the #womenshealth focused sessions on vulvar dermatoses and pregnancy medication safety.

#dermtwitter
@AADmember

New approach uses microbiome to treat skin disease by repairing the injured microbiome that allowed inflammation to flare up in the first place, rather than reducing the inflammation after the fact. https://bit.ly/3Jt6H9v

Load More