Please respond to Robert’s post
Select a community-based health education resource to present and critique (CO 8).
Analyze the appropriateness of the resource for use in your current nursing practice (CO 8).
Robert’s response:
Clinical trials are an important aspect to healthcare. It is how new information is learned, how issues in healthcare are addressed and new treatments are developed. Research provides the evidence base that is incorporated into practice. (Clark et. al., 2019). However, in order to be most effective, participants in clinical trials have to represent the population at large. Racial and ethnic minorities, as well as those of low socioeconomic status (populations that tend to overlap) are under-represented in clinical trial participation (Clark et. al., 2019).
There are a number of reasons for this disparity. Studies have shown that providers have an implicit bias regarding minorities, such as assumptions about participating and non-compliance, as well as perceived challenges with communication due to assumptions about health literacy (Martin & Snyder, 2023). The way that clinical trials are designed can also impede participation. Added costs of participating, such as additional office visits, laboratory assessments, imaging studies and transportation costs can be exclusionary for those of low socioeconomic status, many of whom are racial and ethnic minorities (Martin & Snyder, 2023). Additionally, a lack of trust and understanding regarding the clinical trials process, discourage engagement in clinical trials (Clark et. al., 2019). This is amplified by low health literacy, which has been identified as one of the largest learner-related barriers to healthy behavior (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2022).
To address these issues, efforts to target community engagement with minority populations can help to overcome some of these barriers. One method proposed by Clark et. al. (2019) was to use message mapping. “Message mapping provides a clear, evidence-based script for addressing target audiences about a specific issue” (Clark et. al., 2019, A clinical trial roadmap to success). It provided educators a structured way of communicating information about clinical trials that would be understandable, clear, and emphasize safety and personal health. This approach would be appropriate for my current setting, as a clinical research nurse, and should be included in our current efforts to ensure diversity and equity in clinical trials participation.
References
Clark, L. T., Watkins, L., Piña, I. L., Elmer, M., Akinboboye, O., Gorham, M., Jamerson, B., McCullough, C., Pierre, C., Polis, A. B., Puckrein, G., & Regnante, J. M. (2019). Increasing diversity in clinical trials: Overcoming critical barriers. Current Problems in Cardiology, 44(5), 148–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2018.11.002
Martin, A. N., & Snyder, R. A. (2023). Racial disparities in pancreatic cancer clinical trials: Defining the problem and identifying solutions. Advances in Cancer Research, 185–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2023.02.009
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2022). Foundations for Population Health in Community/Public Health Nursing. Elsevier.
