Engaging rural community members in building a rural clinical trials program

This project aims to support community and patient partner engagement in the development of our rural clinical trials program. Clinical trials are an important aspect of medical research as they advance therapeutic options and improve health care outcomes. Unfortunately, most clinical trials are conducted in urban centres making results from the studies difficult to generalize in the rural setting. Additionally, people from rural communities face significant challenges when looking to participate in clinical trials. To promote equity in clinical trial access, and to create evidence to inform health care delivery in rural communities, our team is building a clinical trial program in the rural community of Cranbrook, B.C. We will develop tools, resources, and knowledge to share with other rural communities wanting to participate in clinical trials. We will work collaboratively with knowledge users such as rural patients, families, clinicians, decision makers, institutions (i.e., UBC and College of the Rockies), local Indigenous Peoples, and the Interior Health Authority to identify research priorities, guide clinical trial implementation, promote community engagement, and ensure the project is responsive to local community needs.