Does the Doctor-Patient Relationship Affect Enrollment in Clinical Research?

Area of Science:

• Clinical Research
• Health Services Research
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Clinical trial recruitment faces challenges, particularly for underrepresented groups.
• Patient enrollment may be influenced by physician relationships, care experiences, and engagement.
• Continuity in the doctor-patient relationship is a key aspect of some care models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predictors of enrollment in a vitamin D study.
• To understand these predictors among socioeconomically diverse participants.
• To examine factors within care models promoting doctor-patient relationship continuity.

Main Methods:

• A vitamin D study was nested within two care model studies (2020-2022).
• Patient-reported measures of care experience, engagement, and parent study involvement were assessed.
• Univariate tests and multivariable logistic regression analyzed enrollment predictors.

Main Results:

• 63% of intervention arm participants enrolled in the vitamin D study vs. 17% in control arms.
• Enrollment was associated with timely care, completed clinic visits, and parent study survey completion.
• Enrollment was NOT associated with doctor communication quality or trust.

Conclusions:

• High enrollment may occur in care models emphasizing doctor-patient relationship continuity.
• Clinic involvement, parent study engagement, and timely care access are stronger predictors of enrollment.
• These findings can inform strategies for improving clinical trial recruitment.