Involving South Asian patients in clinical trials

Abstract

Effective strategies for South Asian recruitment to clinical trials include: using multi-recruitment strategies; defining the demographic and social profiles of the population to be included; using focus groups to identify any potential barriers; consulting representative community members to provide assistance in the study; ensuring eligibility criteria are set as wide as possible; developing educational and recruitment approaches to attract ethnic minority health professionals; ensuring health professionals are adequately trained in culturally and ethnically orientated service provision; determining the most effective mass media to use in study promotion and recruitment; and targeting inner-city, single-handed practices likely to have high ethnic minority populations. Future research should consider: responses when invited to participate; the role of methodological and organisational barriers to recruitment; the complexities of recruitment from a health professional perspective; developing culturally sensitive research methods; the magnitude of the problem of under-recruitment; strategies to encourage inner-city, single-handed GP participation; and other factors affecting trial inclusion, such as age, gender, educational level and socio-cultural background.

Changes in food habits and motivation for healthy eating among Pakistani women living in Norway: results from the InnvaDiab-DEPLAN study

“…Therefore, there is a lack of research regarding this group. A multirecruitment strategy has been recommended in order to reach South Asian population groups (34) , and this was followed in the InnvaDiab study. As random sampling was not used, there is a risk of selection bias.…”

The under-representation of minority ethnic groups in UK medical research

“…Explanations for ethnic disparities in engagement with medical research relate to the practices/ outlooks of the medical research community, and/or the experiences/ outlooks of potential research subjects (Hussain-Gambles et al 2004;Sheikh 2006;Robinson and Trochim 2007). Hussain-Gambles et al's (2004) review of the mainly US literature found evidence suggesting investigator bias (including stereotypes and cultural myths about people from minority ethnic groups); trials with exclusionary designs (eg, language restrictions); and concerns among researchers about additional costs, including those relating to interpretation/ translation.…”

Rapid testing for group B streptococcus during labour: a test accuracy study with evaluation of acceptability and cost-effectiveness

“…Proportionally more white women were recruited (e.g. 62% in the study compared with 55% of the total deliveries at Birmingham Women's Hospital), following a national trend in research in which South Asians are under-represented 101 but which may also reflect a lack of acceptability of the procedure or other barriers to participation. Variations in the reasons for non-participation between ethnic groups will be discussed in Chapter 3 (see Declining to take part in the study during pregnancy).…”