225350 Clinical Trials Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs among Rural Service Providers and People Living with HIV/AIDS: A Baseline Assessment

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 3:30 PM - 3:50 PM

Bahby Banks, PhD, MPH , Cecil B. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Ebun Olubukonla Odeneye, MPH , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC
Damon Ogburn, BS , Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Giselle Corbie-Smith, MD, MSc , TraCS Community Engagement Core, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Background: Barriers to clinical trial participation include a variety of factors including: lack of knowledge, mistrust, distrust of researchers, general concerns about research design, changes in daily routine and social discrimination. This is exacerbated in rural areas where access to resources and care limit potential participants from enrolling in opportunities at major academic centers. Service providers in rural areas are a key component in recruiting and referring clients to trials. The following data will show service provider and PLWHA knowledge, attitudes, skills and beliefs prior to implementation of a community wide intervention in increase minority participation in clinical trials.

Methods: Questionnaires will be administered to service providers (n=60) and people living with HIV/AIDS (n=120) from six rural counties in eastern North Carolina. Each service provider questionnaire consists of 64 questions and will be self-administered prior to implementation of the intervention; each PLWHA questionnaire consists of 60 questions and will be administered through an audience response system prior to implementation of the intervention. Data will be analyzed using SPSS.

Results: Univariate analyses will be conducted to determine basic descriptive information within and between groups. Additionally, bivariate analyses will be conducted to determine if there are any significant differences between groups in regards to race, type of provider, region and gender.

Conclusion: These baseline assessment results will assist researchers in understanding provider and patient views on clinical trials research. Furthermore, it will help us design effective interventions to inform and educate about clinical trials, while focusing on the service provider-patient dyad.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand rural provider and PLWHA perceptions and knowledge related to clinical trial research 2. Compare and contrast provider and PLWHA responses to determine possible discrepancies in knowledge and perceptions related to clinical trial research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have seven years experience conducting public health research, with a focus on HIV/AIDS and health disparities. I currently serve as project coordinator for Project EAST (Education and Access to Services and Testing), where I oversee the development, implementation and evaluation of an intervention to increase rural minority participation in HIV clinical trials.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.