The patient perspective: Developing effective approaches to increasing trial participation

Clinical research trials are a critical component of expanding the understanding and treatment of a disease. Key to this process is a patient-centred approach, with patient input and participation being critical driving forces behind the development of new treatment options. To be truly successful, clinical trials require a diverse set of data from patients of different ethnicities, genders, and beyond. However there remain many obstacles to the wider uptake of clinical trials throughout the UK.

This final roundtable in the Clinical Research Coalition Series, produced by Public Policy Projects (PPP), focuses on these obstacles and how to limit, or even remove, them. Though this report is the culmination of the Clinical Research Coalition series, the themes present within this report and the remaining series remain integral in the broader life science work that PPP undertakes such as: work around effective health care delivery, the ethical and equitable access to and usage of genomic benefits, as well as in the delivery of care and therapeutics to rare disease patients. Previous roundtables within this series have discussed how trial organisers can better include underserved groups in clinical research, and the importance of effective community engagement to increase awareness and access to trials.