Bridging Health Care Gaps: Making Clinical Trials Accessible

In an interview with Targeted Oncology^TM, Mariam Eskander, MD, MPH, surgical oncologist and assistant professor of Surgery at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, discussed potential solutions for making clinical trials accessible to more patients.

Eskander noted that it is challenging to tackle systemic issues like clinical trial accessibility, and many solutions lie at the policy level. For example, some neighborhoods require significant improvements to their transportation infrastructure and greater access to healthy, affordable food. However, Eskander believes a substantial responsibility also falls on as hospital administrators and clinicians to ensure clinical trials are accessible to individuals in these underserved areas.

A crucial step, according to Eskander, is to establish clinical trial sites, telehealth options, or satellite facilities directly within these neighborhoods, as travel is a significant barrier for many. Eskander's research has clearly demonstrated the compounding negative effect of living in both a food desert and a "clinical trial desert." This observation is supported by anecdotal evidence and smaller studies within the health care system. Eskander notes in the multiple satellite hospitals in her health care system, they have found that patients are reluctant to participate in more restrictive studies requiring travel to the main cancer center for treatments or lab work. A key intervention desired by patients with Medicaid insurance at these facilities is the ability to receive care without traveling. This strongly suggests that travel requirements significantly influence patients' decisions about clinical trial enrollment.