Diversity in clinical trials has never been more critical than right now. Diverse populations continue to be misrepresented in studies. All people can react differently to treatments and drugs, making it imperative that diversity be present. Unfortunately, barriers exist that contribute to the lack of participation. These can range from lack of confidence in medical research to overall health access in study patients. Florida Institute for Clinical Research urges people of different genders, ages, races, and ethnic groups to participate in clinical research. You are needed!
Why is diversity important?
Clinicaltrials.gov reports the enrollment of 1 in every 200 Americans as study participants. It takes diverse populations to get a clear scope of how successful treatments and drugs are in clinical trials. With certain people being at risk for specific diseases, it’s crucial to get various ethnicities’ participation. The population impacted and most likely to use the intervention should be present to evaluate safety and effectiveness.
Based on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Drug Trials SnapShot 2019 Report, 72% of clinical trial participants were white, 18% Hispanic, 9% African American, and 9% Asian.
What barriers exist?
Some barriers exist that hinder groups from participating in clinical trials. Equity in access to medical care continues to be a significant factor in the disparities of clinical research patients. Some other factors may include, but are not limited to the following:
- Lack of awareness and knowledge of clinical trials
- Language and cultural differences
- Loss of confidence in medical research
- Mistrust based on historical abuses
- Health literacy
- Religious beliefs
How can you get involved?
Florida Institute for Clinical Research makes it easy to learn more and participate in clinical research trials. As leaders in clinical research, we conduct medical studies to develop and discover new investigational medication, procedures, and treatment to improve the quality of life for children and adults around the world. We need diverse populations in all of our research studies; contact us to learn more about current trials.
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