Health equity principles for oncology real world evidence studies

Real-world research on cancer care in the community should address social determinants of health (SDOH) to advance health equity in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. We sought patient and stakeholder perspectives to co-develop research principles to guide researchers when using patient record data to address health equity in their research protocols.

Key informant interviews with 13 individuals elicited perspectives and insights related to health equity and SDOH when conducting research using data from community-based oncology care. Interviews included a brief overview of a prior scoping review and related questions in the interview guide. Key informants included experts in health equity and SDOH, and patient and community advisory board members. Rapid qualitative analysis was used to identify key themes, patterns, and insights from the interview data. Principles were developed based on the results of the analysis.

Three overarching categories for promoting health equity were (1) education; (2) community engagement; and (3) research design and implementation. Education principles highlight the necessity of training in relevant skills to address health equity. Community engagement principles highlight various actions that researchers can take to conduct research inclusive of community concerns regarding health equity. The research design and implementation category provides practical guidelines for researchers in planning, conducting, and disseminating community-based oncology research to address health equity.

Our principles guide oncology real-world research protocols to address SDOH in community settings and promote health equity. These principles should be tailored to specific cancer topics and communities.