January 16, 2008
Blacks less willing to volunteer for research
A Johns Hopkins study looked at the volunteer rates of blacks and whites in clinical trials.
From Reuters:
Their study involved 717 patients -- about a third black and the rest white -- at 13 medical clinics in Maryland. They found that blacks were about 40 percent less willing to participate in the mock clinical trial.
Why the disparity? The researchers used a follow-up questionnaire to get at that question.
They found that 58 percent of blacks, compared to just 25 percent of whites, said they believed doctors use drugs to experiment on people without a patient's consent.
In addition, 25 percent of the blacks, compared to 15 percent of whites, expressed the belief their doctor would be willing to ask them to take part in a study even if the study might harm them. And 28 percent of blacks, compared to 22 percent of whites, said their doctors would be willing to expose them to unnecessary risks.
More information at USNews and World Report.