Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of American College of Cardiology. https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Articles/2022/12/09/13/06/Increasing-the-Number-of-Women-and-Underrepresented-Groups-in-Clinical-Trials Dr. Lily Dastmalchi et al
Points
- Clinical researches are not comprehensive and do not reflect the different patient communities suffering from heart disorders. Yet, they are still frequently utilized to establish standards and direct therapeutic interventions, even for populations with little to no information about the effectiveness and results of treatments.
- Patients can be asked whether they are willing to participate in medical research, and doctors can explain the advantages of doing so and emphasize how it can enhance patient safety and care.
- Clinical trial enrolment is, in general, a collaborative activity. Physicians and research personnel must address participating obstacles, such as money considerations and safety and health concerns, and enable family members to participate in the decision-making process during enrollment.
Summary
The most significant cause of mortality worldwide is cardiovascular disease, which is becoming more common among women, Hispanics, and Black people. The clinical studies that inform routine medical practice do not adequately reflect these groups. Opposite to traditional perceptions, demographic data indicate that women are more likely than males to have heart disorders, particularly in postmenopausal age groups. In addition, compared to males, women experience higher cardiac mortality rates. Medical researchers underreport persons from varied backgrounds, particularly regional-based and gender-based minority groups, including transgender and non-binary groups. This has terrible consequences that are not only restricted to women. These factors were the primary stimulus for emphasizing recruiting women and minority groups in other research.
Recommendations and clinical treatment are frequently established using data from clinical trials that are not representative of all patient groups and are not inclusive, which ultimately impacts cardiovascular disorders’ outcomes. Age, gender, ethnicity, and culture play significant biological roles in disease presentation, pharmacokinetics, and therapy responsiveness.
Ironically, despite improvements in medical care, women and other oppressed minority groups continue to have worse results, partly because they are underrepresented in clinical trials.
Leading medical experiments require physicians who closely match underrepresented patient communities, which will boost enrollment. Likewise, improving healthcare quality will be aided by the cardiology field’s personnel being more diverse. To help boost the diversity of patient participation, clinical trial locations that primarily serve racial and ethnic minorities should be considered. To minimize resource shortages and provide community members with more insight into the trial process, medical researchers and residents should work closely together to recruit participants for clinical trials.
To minimize cardiovascular disorders and facilitate better outcomes, doctors can alter the story of clinical trials in the short- and long-term to properly represent varied patient groups in terms of sex, gender, color, and ethnicity.
Moreover, studies on transgender communities have mostly been observational, and further investigation is required to determine why they have a higher risk of cardiovascular disorders than the overall population.
Link to the article: https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Articles/2022/12/09/13/06/Increasing-the-Number-of-Women-and-Underrepresented-Groups-in-Clinical-Trials
References Dastmalchi, L., & Gulati, M. (2022, December 9). Increasing the number of women and underrepresented groups in clinical trials. American College of Cardiology; American College of Cardiology. https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Articles/2022/12/09/13/06/Increasing-the-Number-of-Women-and-Underrepresented-Groups-in-Clinical-Trials
