Abstract A42: Optimizing health care systems recruitment and retention practices for medically underserved populations: Impact of ENACCT cancer clinical trial staff training

Cancer clinical trials (CCTs) are essential to making progress in cancer care, yet many cancer care sites within health care systems struggle with improving adult trial participation, which nationally is less than 5%, even lower among communities of color. Challenges to improving participation include patient barriers such as fear, lack of awareness and costs as well as institutional barriers (limited staff and resources, study design, provider attitudes and behaviors) that can limit patient access to trials, particularly among minority and medically underserved populations. The Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials (ENACCT) seeks to improve access to CCTs through education and collaboration with communities, health care providers, and researchers. ENACCT9s Pilot Education Program (PEP), was a 3-year community-based intervention designed to enhance access, awareness and accrual to trials. Implemented in three communities nationwide, training was targeted to key stakeholders in trial participation, including CCTs staff. Using an interactive learning format, PEP training for CCT staff focused on the impact of culture and changing demographics within the clinical research setting; the relationship of cultural competency and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards to CCTs participation; and assisted CCT staff to design an action plan to adopt CLAS Standards in the conduct of research at one9s own institution. Additionally, local sites addressed policy barriers to enhance access. PEP impact was evaluated using pre and post tests, follow-up assessments, as well as interview and focus group data. PEP trained 61 CCTs staff (70% nurses). Post-training, at first assessment, 94% of CCT staff indicated increased commitment to advocate for adoption of CLAS standards within their institutions and 84% indicated intention to discuss with their peers the importance of cultural competency on patient recruitment and retention. Site initiatives to address access barriers included implementation of consent short forms for limited English proficiency patients, use of Six Sigma quality improvement measures to improve hospital recruitment processes and launching city-wide symposia on CCTs reaching community leaders and health care providers. A total of 3027 website sessions and 88 unique patient profiles were created with a national CCTs matching service associated with PEP. Results from PEP suggest that training CCT staff in strategies to enhance cultural competency in the research setting may positively impact awareness and access to CCTs among medically underserved populations. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A42.