“We are facing a critical and growing need for people living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, as well as those at higher risk, and healthy people, to participate in clinical trials,” said NIA Director Richard J. Hodes M.D.
‘Outreach Pro is launched to increase underrepresented population participation in Alzheimers clinical trials.’
Outreach Pro is an integral part of NIA’s efforts to implement the National Strategy for Recruitment and Participation in Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Clinical Research.
The national strategy was released in 2018 in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association with input from government, private sector, academic, and industry stakeholders, as well as from individuals, caregivers, and study participants.
The overarching goal is to engage broader segments of the public, including underrepresented populations, to participate in Alzheimer’s and related dementias clinical research.
“It is critical that clinical trials have appropriate representation to ensure we have a complete understanding of how well different therapies or approaches to dementia care work in different populations,” said Holly Massett, Ph.D., NIA senior advisor on clinical research recruitment and engagement, who oversees the implementation of the national strategy.
To use Outreach Pro, researchers and clinicians first select desired templates with one of three communication goals in mind:
1) to educate about Alzheimer’s;
2) to increase awareness and interest in Alzheimer’s and related dementias clinical trials; or,
3) to provide information about a specific Alzheimer’s or related dementias clinical trial currently enrolling participants.
Then each template can be tailored using a central library of messages, headlines, photos, and text that have been extensively tested among individuals representing diverse and underserved populations.
Outreach Pro’s current library of content includes materials specifically designed for a range of audiences, including Black Americans and Hispanics/Latinos.
NIA developed Outreach Pro and its content systematically by using literature reviews, environmental scans, listening sessions with stakeholders, focus groups, national surveys, and user testing.
The NIA team created tool features in a culturally responsive way, so that all stages of content development reflect the culture and languages of the communities for whom the materials are designed.
They also plan to add content and scale up the tool’s capabilities based on feedback and performance measurement. Outreach Pro expands NIA’s resources dedicated to recruitment diversity.
In total, NIA is supporting 270 Alzheimer’s and related dementias clinical trials, including those focused on lifestyle and caregiving interventions. Late-stage trials often include thousands of participants, requiring even more volunteers to help researchers meet recruitment goals for diversity.
Source: Medindia
