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Barriers and facilitators of clinical trial enrollment in a network of community‐based pediatric oncology clinics
Author(s) -
Russo Carolyn,
Stout Linda,
House Toni,
Santana Victor M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
pediatric blood and cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.116
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1545-5017
pISSN - 1545-5009
DOI - 10.1002/pbc.28023
Subject(s) - medicine , clinical trial , ethnic group , family medicine , clinical research , health equity , population , pediatric oncology , pediatric cancer , clinical oncology , cancer , nursing , public health , environmental health , sociology , anthropology
Abstract Introduction Major advances in the field of pediatric oncology have resulted from rigorous, prospective clinical oncology research trials. Optimizing access for all children and adolescents to clinical research trials is an important goal. Barriers to clinical trial enrollment are numerous, involving the health care system, research infrastructure, access to care, providers, and participants. The perspectives of pediatric oncologists may provide insight into the barriers of clinical trial enrollment for this unique population. Methods and materials We conducted qualitative structured interviews over two months of pediatric oncologists in a community‐based clinical network as part of a quality improvement project aimed at increasing enrollment rates at St. Jude Affiliate Clinics. We assessed barriers and facilitators to clinical trial opportunities for racial and ethnic minority pediatric participants. In the same fiscal year of the interviews, we tracked clinical trial enrollment by race and ethnicity of the participant over 12 months. Results The major barriers to clinical trial enrollment for pediatric cancer minority participants included language discordance, travel difficulties, and complex trial designs. In contrast, the major facilitators included building trust with participants and their parents, and education on the merits of clinical research studies. We did not observe any disparities in clinical trial enrollment among the racial and ethnic minority participants of the clinical trials conducted across our network of pediatric oncology clinics. Conclusions Identifying barriers and facilitators may improve clinical trial enrollment for underrepresented participant groups.