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Study partners: essential collaborators in discovering treatments for Alzheimer's disease
Emily A Largent1,2, Jason Karlawish3,4, Joshua D Grill5,6,7
1Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Blockley Hall, Room 1403, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. elargent@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Background:
Global leaders have set an ambitious goal of developing interventions to effectively treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease by 2025.
Case Presentation:
Achieving this goal will require clinical trials to test promising interventions, yet Alzheimer's researchers are confronting a clinical trial recruitment crisis. One reason for this is that Alzheimer's disease trials must enroll "dyads" composed of both a participant and his or her study partner.
Conclusions:
In this article, we argue that it is essential to identify ways to facilitate study partner participation, such as removing logistical barriers, offering payment, and providing paid, protected time off for study visits. Facilitating participation, particularly among non-spousal study partners, should offer a twofold benefit: faster accrual and greater generalizability of results.
Insights
Recruiting participants for Alzheimer's disease clinical trials is challenging due to the need for study partners. Facilitating study partner involvement can accelerate research and improve results for Alzheimer's interventions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Research
- Gerontology
Background:
- Global initiatives aim to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatments by 2025.
- Clinical trials are crucial for testing AD interventions but face recruitment challenges.
- AD trials require "dyads" (participant and study partner), complicating enrollment.
Discussion:
- Study partner participation is essential for successful AD clinical trials.
- Barriers to study partner involvement include logistical issues and time constraints.
- Strategies like financial compensation and paid time off can enhance participation.
Key Insights:
- Facilitating study partner engagement is critical for overcoming recruitment hurdles.
- Addressing logistical and financial barriers can improve study partner availability.
- Enhanced study partner participation benefits trial accrual and data generalizability.
Outlook:
- Streamlining study partner involvement is key to meeting AD research goals.
- Future trials should prioritize strategies that support study partners.
- Improved recruitment will accelerate the development of effective AD treatments.