Ugonna Osuoha
Research Mentor(s): Megan Haymart
Mentor Department: Internal Medicine, MEND
Authors: Ugonna Osuoha, Knoll Larkin, Daniel Whibley, David Williams, Greg Merritt, Megan Haymart
Session: Session 2 (10:00am – 10:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 113
Abstract
Background: In recent years, there has been a growing movement to include patients as collaborative partners in clinical research, with funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and Department of Defense (DoD) leading this initiative. However, little is known about patients’ interest in clinical research involvement or what they perceive as barriers and facilitators to partnering with researchers. Accordingly, this study aimed to identify factors that may inhibit or promote the engagement of patients in clinical research as collaborative partners. Methods: A survey was administered to a cohort of 2,000 Michigan Medicine patients using a modified Dillman Method. The sample was randomly selected from patients aged =18, residing in Michigan, and having had at least 1 interaction with Michigan Medicine in the last 12 months. Parameters were included in the cohort selection algorithm to ensure geographic and racial/ethnic diversity of the sample. Survey respondents who reported interest in partnering with researchers were asked to provide information on factors that may encourage or prevent their engagement in research. Results: Of the 186 survey respondents who indicated an interest in partnering with researchers, the median age was 49 (range 18-89),115 (61.8%) were female, and 66 (35.5%) were male. The racial/ethnic distribution included 83 (44.6%) identifying as White, 30 (16.1%) as Black/African American, 18 (9.7%) as Asian, 10 (5.4%) as Middle Eastern/North African, 28 (15.1%) as Hispanic/Latino, and 24 (12.9%) as multi-racial/ethnic. The most commonly reported perceived barriers to partnering with researchers were driving distance (94, 50.5%), available time (87, 46.8%), and life responsibilities (63, 33.9%). Commonly reported perceived facilitators were prior experience with the research topic (143, 76.9%), financial compensation (139, 74.7%), and provision of remote/virtual participation options (108, 58.1%). Conclusion: This study identified key factors that may affect patients’ willingness to engage in clinical research as patient partners. Findings will contribute to the on-going development of a training program designed to support effective collaboration between patients and researchers. Keywords: patient partner, patient perspective, barriers to research, facilitators to research, research engagement
