The role of nurses in recruiting Filipino, Korean, and Hispanic/Latino participants to preclinical Alzheimer’s disease trials.

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe factors that influence clinical trial participation in the Filipino, Korean and Hispanic/Latino communities remain poorly understood. Nurses are well positioned to play a dynamic role in the recruitment of underrepresented communities to preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) trials. This study used a community‐based nursing partnership model to gain insights into whether and how nurses serve as key gatekeepers within these communities.MethodSixty in‐depth stakeholder interviews were conducted with 20 Hispanic/Latino, 20 Filipino, and 20 Korean American nurses via Zoom. Nurses were recruited through a unique collaboration between community‐based Filipino, Korean and Hispanic/Latino professional nursing organizations and academic investigators. A semi‐structured interview guide was used to collect sociodemographic information and to assess nurses’ research attitudes and perspectives regarding the recruitment of underrepresented community members to AD preclinical trials.ResultOverall, 63% of nurses had >20 years of clinical practice experience, 93% had a bachelors or graduate degree, 75% were fully employed, 14% were part‐time employed, 12% were retired, and 72% knew someone with a diagnosis of AD. Most Filipino (90%) and Korean (90%) nurses were not born in the US, as compared to Hispanic/Latino nurses (25%). Emergent themes were identified including the role of nurses as a (1) trusted source of health information, (2) patient advocate and community educator, and (3) liaison connecting key community stakeholders to AD trials. Commonalities in perspectives among the nursing groups about community members’ participation in trials included the role of familism in decision‐making, the need for strong family support, and reliance on family members, such as adult children, to communicate important health information. A notable difference between the nursing groups was that Hispanic/Latino nurses more often communicated in a non‐English (Spanish) language with patients as compared to Filipino and Korean nurses. All nursing groups, on average, exhibited positive attitudes towards research.ConclusionOur findings suggest that nurses can serve as a valuable vehicle for improving recruitment to preclinical AD clinical trials. Nurses are well positioned to engage with the community and provide culturally tailored patient, family, and community education.