Empowering minority patients: A tailored education initiative for clinical trial awareness in thoracic oncology.

Abstract

1590 Background: Minority populations are underrepresented in clinical trials. Underrepresentation stems from multiple barriers that include restrictive eligibility criteria, systemic inequities, and patient-related factors. Effective educational interventions are needed to address barriers toward increasing minority patient understanding and participation in clinical trials. Despite their potential, video-based, culturally tailored interventions for minority patient education on clinical trials remain understudied and underutilized. Methods: We developed 3 brief (<5 min) culturally tailored educational videos about clinical trials in thoracic oncology for Black (English) and Hispanic/Latino patients (English and Spanish). Patients completed pre- and immediate post-video surveys to assess knowledge about, attitudes toward, and willingness to participate in clinical trials. Inclusion criteria included age ≥18 years, diagnosis of stage I-IV lung cancer, ECOG performance status 0-2, self-identification as Black or Hispanic/Latino, proficiency in English or Spanish, and access to an electronic device. Feasibility was measured by participant recruitment rates, completion of pre-and post-video surveys, and video acceptability via self-reported satisfaction. Results: Between April and September 2024, 54 patients were approached, and 30 (56%) were successfully enrolled (Table). Among those approached, 4 were ineligible, and 20 declined participation. All enrolled patients completed the pre- and post-video surveys. Over 90% reported high satisfaction with the videos. The total knowledge score increased significantly following the intervention (p < .001). For specific items, significant improvements were observed in understanding pre-clinical studies (p = .012), placebo use (p = .001), and clinical trial registration (p = .012). After the videos, over 90% of patients believed that clinical trials are useful and play an important role in developing new drugs and improving lung cancer outcomes. Potential barriers were observed in ~50% of patients, including concerns with informed-consent language, randomization, costs, and healthcare team communication style. There was a significant increase in willingness to participate in a clinical trial after watching the educational videos (p=.04). Conclusions: Our culturally tailored, patient-centered educational videos on clinical trials in thoracic oncology were both feasible and well-accepted. Future studies should explore whether such interventions can increase minority patient enrollment in therapeutic clinical trials. Patient demographics. Variable Level N = 30 % Preferred Language English 23 76.7 Spanish 7 23.3 Age Group 30-49 5 16.7 50-69 12 40.0 70-89 13 43.3 Sex at Birth Female 19 63.3 Male 11 36.7 Race White 10 33.3 Black/AA 16 53.3 Other 4 13.3 Ethnicity Not Hispanic 15 50.0 Hispanic 15 50.0