Study investigates US ethnic gap in CT recruits

An investigation into the gap in clinical trial enrollment rates for Caucasians and African Americans in the USA has confirmed the presence of a significant level of distrust on the part of the latter group. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, found blacks were 40% less likely to be willing to register for what was in fact a mock clinical study.

The survey was conducted at 13 medical facilities in Maryland, with 717 patients, about one third of whom were black. While a quarter of whites said they believed physicians would use experimental drugs on patients without their consent, 58% of African Americans believed the need for their consent would be ignored.

Although the gap in patient trust across ethnic lines was less striking in some other survey questions, 25% and 28%, respectively, of African Americans said they thought their own doctor would enroll them in a study that might harm them or would willingly expose patients to unnecessary risks. The equivalent levels of distrust among Caucasian patients were 15% and 22%.