Why Africans and Americans Africans Must Participate in Clinical Research Trials

Clinical research trial is a vital component of medical research, as it invests significant resources emphasizing on disease prevention, treatment comparisons, identifying people who are at risk for developing a type of disease, or testing a treatment for a rare/emerging disease.

Clinical Research has been known to improve clinical outcomes, giving birth to major medical and technological advancements that have tremendously improved our overall quality of life.

Clinical research trials test the effectiveness and safety of new medicines or treatments. Some breakthroughs and advancements through clinical research include the development of new medications and treatments options for diseases, new diagnostic approaches, and new ways of reducing disease risk factors.

In my recent journey into clinical research investigation, I have observed that African American immigrants are yet to embrace the essence of clinical research studies.

While several studies have shown that the most common barriers to African Americans’ involvement in clinical research included mistrust in the system due to lack of information, and a fear that history may repeat itself, personal stories abound as to the safety and potential benefits of including this population in research studies.

Some other barriers include societal, educational, cultural, and financial reasons.

Could this be different for the immigrant African American?

Immigrant African Americans are known to be some of the most educated immigrants in the United States, and part of the education centers around understanding the essence of research, and participating in it.

Immigrant African-Americans suffer significantly from diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and heart diseases when compared with their Caucasian or Asian counterparts, but they are frequently marginalized and underrepresented in clinical trials of these diseases.

What we must understand is that, it is impossible to generalize the results of any study, without considering samples from different populations that will potentially be affected by the results of such studies.

Efforts to improve enrollment of immigrant African-American subjects entail that we all recognize the numerous medical problems that require totally new treatment approaches, or a modification to existing modalities.

The incidence of heart disease, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, diabetes and several other viral diseases in immigrant African-Americans necessitates that this population be specifically involved in clinical trials for medical and surgical research purposes.

I am therefore calling upon all immigrant African Americans, and Africans all over the world, to participate in clinical research trials happening around them, so as to be well represented, and considered in the medical advancements, and production of pharmaceutical products made for diseases that could potentially affect us.

♦ Edith Nkem Declan an Adjunct Nursing Professor and Clinical Research Nurse Practitioner, based in Houston Texas.