Lack of diversity in health research threatens the progress of medical science and the future of the healthcare industry. Researchers have long struggled to represent all groups equally in clinical studies, and the Covid-19 pandemic has helped to highlight higher rates of infection and death in certain racial and socioeconomic classes.For example, one study showed that non-Hispanic blacks accounted for 34% of Covid-19 deathsalthough they make up only 12% of the population.
While the pandemic has highlighted this inequality, it also offers a potential solution. Diseases affect different groups of people, and drugs and other treatments work differently for everyone. The pandemic has helped accelerate the concept of precision medicine, a data-intensive process of customizing care based on an individual’s genetic characteristics. For precision medicine and other similar initiatives to work, researchers need more data on underrepresented populations.
Diversity issues have drawn attention at the national level.In a recent review of the magazine cellFrancis Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health, and Joshua Denney, chief executive of the National Institutes of Health all of us Research plans, explaining the lack of diversity Exacerbating health disparities and limiting scientific discoveries86% of clinical trial participants are white, and less than 3% of people in published genome-wide association studies have African, Hispanic or Latino ancestry, two research experts said.
The penetration rate of digital technology is on the rise
Traditionally, underrepresented groups were considered to have limited access to technology. This made it harder for researchers to reach certain populations, but the increase in connectivity changed that paradigm. In early 2019, 96% of American adults According to the Pew Research Center, 98 percent of black adults, 92 percent of high school graduates and 95 percent of those earning less than $30,000 a year own a cell phone.
The pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated the adoption of technology as society is forced to go virtual and do almost everything digitally. This includes remote schooling, working from home and shopping online. There has also been an increase in telehealth visits in the United States.almost 24% of healthcare interactions Completed digitally between March 2020 and June 2020, compared to just 0.3% during the same period in 2019, according to a study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. During the initial peak of the pandemic, telehealth accounted for 80% of visits, peaking in areas with high Covid-19 outbreaks.
Broadband connectivity investments are also increasing.Congressional authorization Over $13 billion in new spending Broadband support available in December 2020. Through November 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $65 billion to create and upgrade high-speed networks. The bulk of this funding, $42.5 billion, will go to unserved and underserved communities through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. The funding is the largest investment in broadband service in U.S. history.
For rural communities, the 2021 Omnibus Appropriations Act allocates $450 million for the ReConnect program to provide loans, grants, and loan-grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in rural America.
Medical researchers find new solution
The pandemic has helped change the perspective of the medical research community. Research and academic centers are often located in high-cost cities far from rural populations. These centers traditionally recruit candidates for clinical trials from nearby, assuming they require direct physical contact. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, all health research institutions closed in-person meetings in their clinics, making it impossible to recruit participants for health research through traditional face-to-face meetings.
At the same time, the pandemic has made health inequities more undeniable, and medical research institutions have created DEI task forces to focus on including diversity in their grant applications and research programs.
As researchers use digital technologies to connect with colleagues, family and friends during lockdown, they are also starting to see the potential of these technological tools in reaching clinical study participants. They are increasingly using these technologies to connect and recruit from different communities.
To further increase diversity and inclusion, researchers and technologists should ensure:
- Participant diversity in research trials accurately reflected the composition of the target cohort.
- Product design teams include people from different demographics and across race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status.
- The design process includes the target population of the treatment or product, as well as researchers and technologists.
- Clinical trials and digital technologies are available to non-English speakers by including multiple language versions, and by complying with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, clinical trials and digital technologies are accessible to persons with disabilities.
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies and changed the conversation around health research. Diversity, equity and inclusion in medical research is not only good ethics and science, but also good business.
The expansion of broadband access and digital technologies could lead to an explosion in telemedicine and related digital tools, which will improve healthcare research while leading to more inclusive and improved treatments. The world can benefit from increased availability and adoption of technology in underrepresented communities.
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