Engaging community oncology stakeholders to plan multisite cancer caregiving research (CONNECT WF-2300CD)

Engaging community stakeholders in clinical trials planning identifies participation barriers and facilitators to support future trial success. We assessed interest and perceived capacity of the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) practices and engaged stakeholders to inform a future multisite clinical trial involving caregivers.

A cross-sectional survey of NCORP practices (WF-2300CD) assessed interest (somewhat or very likely to participate) and capacity (ie, criteria: ≥5 eligible dyad accruals per quarter, identification of necessary study implementers) and barriers and facilitators to participating in a future cancer caregiver-focused trial. Interest and capacity were estimated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and logistic regression was used to identify statistically significant predictors. Free-text responses were analyzed using content analysis.

Among 136 initial responding practices, 126 (92%) completed the survey (November 2023-April 2024), 56% saw at least 1000 new patient cases annually, 13.5% served at least 30% racial and ethnic minority patients, and 13.5% were designated critical access hospitals. Overall, 84.9% (95% CI = 77.5% to 90.1%) expressed interest in a caregiver-focused trial, but only 37.3% (95% CI = 28.9% to 46.4%) met all capacity criteria; capacity was the sole predictor of interest (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 5.79, 95% CI = 1.23 to 27.13). Most (88.9%) practices estimated 5 or more eligible caregiver-patient dyads per quarter, but only 44.4% believed they could accrue that amount. Key participation barriers included staffing limitations and challenges related to eligibility and recruitment. Practices emphasized clear guidance on dyad eligibility, recruitment materials, workflow training, and resource considerations to improve trial participation.

Early stakeholder engagement identified actionable barriers and produced practice-aligned strategies to enhance caregiver trial participation in community oncology settings. Targeted capacity building may improve participation for future caregiver-focused trials.