Strategies Addressing Barriers to Clinical Trial Enrollment of Underrepresented Populations: A Systematic Review

This review examined 20 studies to identify successful community-engaged interventions that included healthcare providers as a key strategy in addressing barriers to clinical trial enrollment of underrepresented patients. Of the studies, 9 addressed cancer clinical trials and 11 addressed trials related to chronic medical conditions, including diabetes, hypertension management, and chronic kidney disease. The key strategies employed were categorized according to their presumed impact on barriers incurred at distinct steps in study recruitment: clinical trial awareness, opportunity to participate, and acceptance of enrollment. The strategies were further categorized by whether they would address barriers associated with minority perceptions of the research process and barriers related to how studies were designed and implemented. The authors concluded that multiple and flexible strategies targeting providers and participants at provider sites and within communities might be needed to enroll underrepresented populations into clinical trials.

Heller C, Balls-Berry JE, Nery JD, et al. Strategies addressing barriers to clinical trial enrollment of underrepresented populations: A systematic review. Contemporary Clinical Trials 2014;39(2):169-182.