When it comes to conducting clinical trials, one of the most important success factors is diversity and inclusion in the research process. This means that the participants of the research should represent diverse groups in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other demographical factors.
Historically, it has been observed that minority and marginalized groups had no representation in nearly all major clinical trials that happened in the US.
While the researchers’ ignorance may be to blame for this, on many occasions, these marginalized groups also refuse to participate in research. This is largely due to the mistrust of certain communities in the research process after incidents such as the mishandling of genetic information acquired from the Havasupai Tribe or the mishap of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, where participants didn’t give informed consent.
The only way to rebuild trust in diverse groups is to communicate with them effectively and help them understand the importance of their voluntary contribution to the greater good. It’s also important to build a safe environment and have proper regulations in place to secure the participants and successfully achieve diversity.
But why is it important to conduct diverse clinical trials? Keep reading to find out.
It Ensures Health Equity
Health equity is a basic ethical obligation that the healthcare industry has towards marginalized groups. This essentially means that all minority groups should have equal access to the same facilities as the rest. Additionally, whether it’s a drug or a treatment, it should be just as effective for minority groups as it is for others. This is only possible if the minority groups are involved right from the beginning of the research and development process.
It Reduces Biases
Data acquired from homogenous groups can be quite biased as it’s only a reflection of one group of people. To that end, the research may meet its endpoints effectively, but the findings cannot be applied to a larger population and may only be applicable to the group that participated in the research. These biases can be reduced significantly with a diverse group of participants, and the research conclusion is more widely applicable.
Some Treatments and Drugs are Ineffective in Certain Groups
Some medical treatments and drugs may work on a specific group of people and may not work for others. For example, in the case of cardiac-related studies, gender diversity is essential because men are at a greater risk of getting cardiovascular conditions than women.
Make Your Clinical Trials More Effective with Us
Once you have a diverse group of people, the next step is to have a proper electronic data capture system in place to streamline the process.
At ClinicalPURSUIT, we provide clinical trial data management solutions that can help all the parties of your clinical trial, including CROs, sponsors, data managers, and others. Our EDC system for clinical trials can help you conduct decentralized research and meet your research endpoints successfully.
Schedule a free demo today to learn more about our products and services.
