Monday April 28, 2025
Advancements in medicine rely on clinical trials to assess the effectiveness and safety of new treatments.
A 2023 survey found that Australian clinical and research professionals rarely include culturally and linguistically diverse patients in cancer trials, citing a lack of translated materials and limited interpreter access as key barriers.
This could be a barrier to future patient as a person’s ethnicity can affect how they respond to medication.
In a 2018 global study on kidney cancer treatment, found patients of Asian ethnicity experienced different side-effects, highlighting the importance of ensuring clinical trials reflect the full diversity of the population, not only for scientific accuracy and patient safety, but also to foster more equitable access to high-quality care and ensure that all communities benefit from advances in medical research.
Head of Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University and Eastern Health, Professor Ian Davis addresses the current gaps in the research sphere in his piece about the importance of cultural diversity in clinical trials.
Read more here: The importance of cultural diversity in clinical trials – Monash Lens
