Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials
[Author:
AMY APOSTOLERIS | Global Head, Digital Clinical Trials Solutions]
As a sponsor of the 2023 OCT West Coast conference in San Francisco, the Medocity team was thrilled to have engaged with an abundance of leaders in the west coast life sciences R&D community! It was exciting to meet and listen to the many thought leaders, speakers, and discussions.
What resonated the most for us was the importance of patient diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), as well as the benefits of incorporating decentralized approaches when designing and operationalizing clinical trials.
While traditional in-person studies hold value in some cases and have been the “go to” for almost a century, evidence shows that patient-centric digital decentralized solutions demonstrate value and cost savings — especially when they improve patient access to clinical trials, provide patient support, and improve patient retention and compliance. Studies have also shown that real-time data capture and direct patient reporting improve data integrity and quality, accelerates timelines, and improves study outcomes for diverse and underrepresented populations. It is so crucial to prioritize patient diversity and inclusion in designing and enrolling clinical trials and to ensure that trial protocols are culturally sensitive and accessible to all. By actively recruiting and engaging underrepresented populations, including minorities, women, and older adults, we can ensure that study results are representative and applicable to all patients.
Medocity’s REACH™ platform recruits and qualifies patients that fit study criteria including those of specified race, culture, demographics, and social determinants of health. This approach has the potential to broaden the pool of eligible study participants and increase the diversity of the patient and/or specific phenotype and genotype population. REACH offers a flexible and convenient way for patients to participate in clinical trials remotely. It removes barriers to participation by eliminating the need for travel, reducing time off work, and decreasing childcare concerns. It lessens site burden by qualifying patients early on and enables real time visibility for sponsors to monitor the progress of the trial through a multi-channel reporting approach.
DCTS offers a patient-centric approach that has the potential to enhance clinical trial recruitment, retention, data quality, and ultimately provide equal access to healthcare for all.
Contact Amy Apostoleris to learn how Medocity’s REACH™ recruitment and enrollment platform prioritizes patient diversity and inclusion to ensure that clinical trials accurately represent the patient population.