Study Rationale:
Clinical trials and studies in Parkinson's disease (PD) are often limited by low enrollment of participants , increasing the time it takes to bring new therapies to the market. The purpose of this center of excellence project is to develop and study a variety of strategies which might increase enrollment into trials and studies.
Hypothesis:
This study hopes to better understand barriers to participation in research for PD and to address those barriers. We hypothesize that, by identifying and addressing barriers to recruitment, we will see an increase in study and trial participation.
Study Design:
The study will first examine why people with PD may not participate in trials, as well as evaluate circumstances in minority populations that affect participation. The investigators will determine whether there are barriers that can be addressed through changes in the way research is performed.
Impact on Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson's disease:
The main goal of this study is to increase participation in clinical trials and studies, such that they can be conducted more quickly and have broader implications across the diverse population of individuals with PD. We hope that this speeds the development of therapies to treat and slow progression of PD.
Next Steps for Development:
If successful, the lessons learned and strategies developed will be distributed to other Parkinson's researchers as core guidelines for conducting clinical trials in PD.