Willingness to participate in cardiac trials

Area of Science:

• Clinical research
• Cardiovascular medicine
• Health equity

Background:

• Underrepresentation of elderly, women, and minorities in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) is a persistent issue.
• The reasons for these disparities, particularly patient interest, remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether differential patient interest contributes to the underenrollment of specific demographic groups in cardiac randomized clinical trials (RCTs).

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted with 660 patients regarding their willingness to participate in two hypothetical cardiac RCTs.
• The RCTs compared medical therapy vs. percutaneous coronary angioplasty and medical therapy vs. coronary artery bypass surgery.
• Patient demographics including age, sex, and race were recorded.

Main Results:

• Patients aged 70 years and older were equally or more likely to consider both RCTs compared to younger patients.
• No significant impact of race on trial consideration was observed.
• Women were significantly less likely than men to consider participation in either RCT.

Conclusions:

• Patient willingness to consider participation does not explain the underenrollment of elderly and minority populations in cardiac RCTs.
• Women's reluctance to consider RCT participation warrants further investigation to address sex-based disparities in clinical research.