Breaking Down Barriers to Clinical Trial Participation

Despite the critical role clinical trials play in advancing medical science and healthcare, participation remains lower than needed. Many trials struggle to recruit and retain diverse participants, which can limit the applicability of their findings. 

Addressing the barriers to clinical trial participation is essential for creating more inclusive and effective research. These barriers generally fall into logistical, informational, financial, and cultural categories. Let’s take a closer look at some common barriers and how they can be overcome.

Logistical Barriers

Practical challenges such as time commitment, travel, and scheduling often discourage participation. Clinical trials may require frequent visits to research facilities, which can be inconvenient for individuals with demanding jobs, caregiving responsibilities, or those living far from the trial site. Long travel times and limited access to public transportation can pose significant hurdles, especially for rural or underserved populations. 

Flexible scheduling, remote monitoring options, and decentralized trial designs can help mitigate these issues.

Informational Barriers

A lack of awareness about clinical trials is a major obstacle. Many people are unaware of the opportunities to participate or how to find them. Misinformation or misunderstanding about what clinical trials involve—such as fears of being treated like a "guinea pig"—further discourages engagement. Comprehensive education campaigns, transparent communication, and accessible trial registries can address this barrier by demystifying the process and emphasizing participant safety.

Financial Barriers

Even when trials cover the cost of the intervention being studied, participants may still face indirect costs such as transportation, childcare, or lost wages due to time off work. For individuals from lower-income backgrounds, these costs can be prohibitive. Offering stipends, reimbursing travel expenses, or providing on-site childcare can make trials more accessible to a broader audience.

Cultural and Language Barriers

Cultural attitudes toward medical research and language differences can also deter participation. Historical injustices in medical research, such as unethical trials targeting minority groups, have eroded trust among certain communities. Additionally, a lack of materials in participants’ native languages or culturally sensitive practices can make trials feel inaccessible or alienating. Building relationships with community leaders, employing diverse research staff, and ensuring cultural competence in trial design and communication can help rebuild trust and foster inclusivity.

Health Literacy and Access to Technology

Low health literacy and limited access to digital tools can exclude individuals from participating. Understanding medical jargon, navigating online portals, or following complex protocols may be daunting for some potential participants. Simplified communication, user-friendly technology, and personalized support can help lower these barriers.

Overcoming Barriers

To break down these barriers, stakeholders must adopt participant-centered approaches. This includes leveraging digital tools like telehealth to reduce travel, using targeted outreach to educate underrepresented communities, and providing financial incentives. Collaborating with community organizations and employing culturally aware recruitment strategies can also build trust and improve engagement.

Research at Biofortis

Biofortis is dedicated to protecting consumer health throughout the world by delivering a wide range of testing and consultancy services to the food, supplement, and nutrition industries. Biofortis supports this mission in two ways—through clinical trials and sensory and consumer insights testing. We specialize in clinical research targeting foods, ingredients, and dietary supplements that affect body structures, function, and overall health. Contact us with any clinical trial or scientific consulting needs.