Background/Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess outcomes among healthcare providers in the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) Training to Increase Minority Enrollment in Lupus Clinical Trials with CommunitY Engagement (TIMELY) program. The TIMELY program was designed to improve engagement of healthcare providers and therefore promote referrals of underrepresented patients with lupus to clinical trials (LCTs). Enrolled providers participated in two components of the TIMELY program: 1) The ACR’s Materials to Increase Minority Involvement in Clinical Trials (MIMICT) continuing medical education (CME) course; and 2) Roundtable meetings where providers learned about and discussed barriers, strategies, and opportunities to advance participation of underrepresented patients in LCTs.

Methods: This roundtable study used an online survey to evaluate pre-post changes in theory-based behavioral predictors of clinical trial referrals, including attitudes, self-efficacy, and intentions to refer underrepresented patients to LCTs. Research teams at two participating sites, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), began enrollment in June 2022 and implemented the TIMELY roundtables between September 2022 and April 2023. Community members, community health workers, and advisory committee members provided extensive support and guidance to facilitate TIMELY roundtable implementation. In conjunction with the ACR, sites recruited participants and hosted roundtables in-person and online with regional providers who care for patients with lupus. Providers completed a baseline survey prior to roundtable participation, and post-roundtable, and 3-month follow-up surveys. We conducted paired t-tests between baseline and follow-up to assess differences in composite scores and individual measures for each outcome.

Results: As of April 2023, the sample included 35 providers. From baseline to follow-up, composite scores for self-efficacy increased from 6.62 to 7.42 (p< 0.01) and composite scores for intentions increased from 7.14 to 8.21 (p=0.001).

Conclusion: These promising findings highlight the potential of the TIMELY program to improve theory-based behavioral predictors of provider referrals of underrepresented patients to LCTs.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/training-to-increase-minority-enrollment-in-lupus-clinical-trials-with-community-engagement-timely-assessing-behavioral-predictors-of-clinical-trial-referrals-among-healthcare-providers/