Responding to healthcare distrust among underserved communities: Phase II

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Disparities
• Community-Based Participatory Research

Background:

• Medical distrust is a significant social determinant of health impacting oncology care and clinical trial participation.
• The Forward Movement Project (FMP) addressed multilevel factors influencing healthcare and research trust in an underserved urban community.
• FMP Phase II implemented a community-responsive educational approach to combat misinformation and reduce distrust.

Discussion:

• Participant dialogues with healthcare professionals fostered positive evaluations of clinicians and staff.
• While trust in individual providers was high, trust in healthcare systems and researchers remained moderate post-intervention.
• The program successfully increased participants' willingness to consider clinical trial involvement.

Key Insights:

• Community-driven programs can effectively engage underserved populations in health research.
• Addressing misinformation and fostering dialogue are crucial for building trust in healthcare.
• Participant-centered approaches are vital for improving health equity and research participation.

Outlook:

• The FMP model offers a replicable framework for community-engaged research.
• Continued efforts are needed to sustain and rebuild trust in healthcare and biomedical research.
• This approach has the potential to reduce health disparities and improve clinical trial diversity.