Abstract C92: Clinical trial accrual: Training Latina patient navigators
Authors: Devine Peggy 
Published: May 2016

In today's clinical trial arena interest in accrual and retention is extremely high among investigators. There have been various efforts to determine the reasons why underrepresented populations enter clinical trials at a much lower percentage than their Caucasian counterparts.

Recent data gathered at the Clinical Trial Summit documented that 67% of professionals consenting patients have less than 6 hours of psychosocial training. This data does not take into account the added difficulty of meeting the needs of the underrepresented. Racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence, prevalence, mortality and burden of cancer are well documented. Participation in clinical trials is also beginning to be studied in this context.

Hypothesis: A new approach will increase accrual and retaining underserved participants in clinical trials. In particular, we will develop, train and pilot an approach focused on: 10 Providing Spanish speaking women with trainied navigators who will included information about clinical trials during their initial treatment decision meetings; and 2) Continue the navigation through the consent process if a clinical trial is chosen, as well as provide patients with clear, understandable, culturally sensitive information in Spanish about clinical trials including decision aids to help them though the consent process.

Action Taken: CISN principals are now working with our partner (Dia de la Mujer Latina, a long standing nonprofit who has many partners working with Latina women) on developing a navigator training that will provide patients with better ways to understand clinical trials. Special attention is paid to language barriers, cultural issues that need to be understood and respected, as well as age and distrust of the medical system. This training will be integrated into an existing training for navigators that has been recognized as a model and used widely in Texas and several other states.

Joining a clinical trial is a critical decision that many cancer patients will face. Language and cultural barriers make this an even more difficult decision for non-English speaking women of Latina origin. Having well trained staff assist patients should be considered a component of quality care.

Outcome: Interest in our methods and materials continues to grow. Faster Cures recently identified CISN as having ‘best practice’ methods in the area of informed consent. We work closely with academic, government, other non-profits and industry researchers to help foster public awareness about the importance of medical research to daily life.

CISN addresses these issues and present various strategies that might be applied to cooperative group and industry trials so as to bridge the research gap, move research forward and adopt the best course to serve the needs of the community, researchers and all patients, regardless of race/ethnicity, language and/or cultural needs.

Citation Format: Peggy Devine. Clinical trial accrual: Training Latina patient navigators. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr C92.