Abstract C128: Barriers identified by healthcare professionals concerning the participation of people living with HIV in HPV-related cancer clinical trials in Puerto Rico
Authors: Rodriguez Veronica C. 
Published: December 2023

OBJECTIVES: Effectively recruiting and retaining participants in clinical trials (CTs) has proven to be a challenge. Identifying and addressing barriers to CTs   participation will allow more CTs to reach enrollment targets and generalize results. We aimed to identify the main barriers that healthcare professionals caring for people living with HIV (PLWH) and potential participants have encountered for promotion and participation in ULACNet-101, respectively, in Puerto Rico (PR). METHODS: We analyzed data from two follow-up phone surveys (2 months and 4 months) with healthcare professionals from HIV healthcare organizations in PR that participated in a training activity focused on CTs and patient navigation. The training activity was part of the efforts implemented at PR to enhance the recruitment strategies in ULACNet-101, a CT aimed at preventing HPV-related cancers among PLWH under the California-Mexico-Puerto Rico (CAMPO) Consortium. Healthcare professionals were questioned about the challenges they face while recommending potential participants to ULACNet-101. Additionally, they identified barriers to participation in the study reported by patients. RESULTS: Eighty-two healthcare professionals participated in the training activity (mean age 45±12 years and 72% female). Following the session, 58 (79.5% response rate) and 43 (64.2% response rate) healthcare professionals completed the first and second follow-up call, respectively. Most of the participants from both follow-up calls worked at community-based organizations (74.1% and 72.1%, respectively). In both calls, the most common barriers that healthcare professionals reported to refer patients to ULACNet-101 were that patients did not show interest (32.8% and 44.2%) and they had not found the best time to talk to patients (24.1% and 18.6%). However, a significant number of healthcare professionals (25.9% and 30.3%) stated that there were no impediments to referring patients to ULACNet-101. Regarding barriers reported by patients to participate, most healthcare professionals informed that the CT site is far from where they live (55.2% and 55.8%) and that they have no one to take them to appointments (55.2% and 53.5%). Additional common barriers reported to participation in ULACNet-101 cited by patients included a lack of awareness about CTs (46.6%, first follow-up call) and fear of the procedures (55.8%, second follow-up call). To overcome barriers to participation in ULACNet-101, healthcare professionals provided educational material about CAMPO (93.1% and 94.4%), coordinated an appointment with a physician to clarify doubts (24.1% and 27.8%), and provided CAMPO’ staff contact information (89.7% and 94.4%). CONCLUSION: The reported barriers by healthcare professionals are crucial to understand and enhance the recruitment of PLWH into cancer-related CTs. We anticipate that by addressing these, we will be able to increase the number of participants in ULACNet-101. As a result, this information will be used to guide the implementation of other cancer related CTs for PLWH in PR. 

Citation Format: Veronica C. Rodriguez. Barriers identified by healthcare professionals concerning the participation of people living with HIV in HPV-related cancer clinical trials in Puerto Rico [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr C128.