Clinical trials assess the effectiveness, reliability, and practicability of therapeutic processes, medications, nutrition, behavioral strategies, and lifestyle changes to enhance individual and societal health. Due to a lack of understanding of its relevance in influencing the outcomes of clinical studies, there is still a shortage of diversity, inclusion, and minority participation in the clinical research field (Boulware et al., 2022). The immediate consequence of this problem is a widespread lack of data suitable for drawing reliable conclusions about the effectiveness and safety of the medications under consideration. In other words, without diversity in clinical research, it is impossible to address health inequities among disadvantaged populations. Therefore, the clinical research workforce should encompass an adequate number of racial and ethnic minorities and any disadvantaged or marginalized groups to take into account the diverse personal experiences and conditions of diverse demographics.
The inclusion of minority personnel in clinical research increases the likelihood of minority participants’ involvement in clinical studies. According to research, African American patients are increasingly likely to contemplate enrolling in a clinical trial when a trustworthy expert discusses its merits and downsides when they are not informed or enlightened about the experiments (Woods-Burnham et al., 2021). In this regard, to combat this trend, several higher education establishments are conducting diversity training. Other scholars have proposed special programs, such as the sister programs of Career Education and Enhancement for Health Care Research Diversity (CEED), which target medical students and intend to build a local and diverse research community.
What remains unclear is whether trusted professionals encompass clinical research personnel from different ethnicities. Additionally, very few studies have been conducted to determine whether training actually leads to changes in attitudes of clinical research personnel regarding the importance of encouraging and recruiting minority groups in clinical studies. Furthermore, some viable techniques for increasing the presence of minority communities in the clinical research workforce have not been thoroughly studied. This includes enhancing the physical proximity of community-centered medical research to minority groups.
The proposed research aims to assess a possible intervention to increase racial and ethnic diversity in clinical research studies and the workforce. Additionally, it intends to illustrate the medical and scientific justifications for guaranteeing that clinical trial participants’ demographics match those of patient groups. A current example of a regulatory directive that considers intrinsic and extrinsic sources of heterogeneity is the need to broaden the demographic diversity of clinical trial groups. More importantly, it aims to promote organizational cultural competence, as this has been highlighted as a significant factor in the successful inclusion of minority groups in the clinical research workforce (Aysola et al., 2018). Through these strategies, the project aims to encourage the emergence of a more multicultural and diverse clinical research workforce guided by:
- A clear strategy for inclusion and diversity at the institutional level.
- Defined long- and short-term objectives for equality and inclusivity at all organizational levels.
- Inspired responsible scholars to spearhead the incorporation of diversity and inclusion goals and initiatives.
- Support for efforts to enroll, retain, and graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds.
- Adherence to policies that actively seek out and keep employees from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.
- Providing responsive environments for underrepresented minority trainees.
- Metrics for measuring diversity and inclusion as part of an institution’s evaluation to ensure it is improving.
References
Aysola, J., Harris, D., Huo, H., Wright, C. S., & Higginbotham, E. (2018). Measuring organizational cultural competence to promote diversity in academic healthcare organizations. Health Equity, 2(1), 316–320. Web.
Boulware, L. E., Corbie, G., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., Wilkins, C. H., Ruiz, R., Vitale, A., & Egede, L. E. (2022). Combating structural inequities – diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinical and translational research. The New England Journal of Medicine, 386(3), 201–203. Web.
Woods-Burnham, L., Johnson, J. R., Hooker, S. E., Jr, Bedell, F. W., Dorff, T. B., & Kittles, R. A. (2021). The role of diverse populations in US clinical trials. Med (New York, N.Y.), 2(1), 21–24. Web.