Techquity: digital pathways to reach all people for medical research (14 September 2024)

Summary

Biomedical research has long struggled to reflect the demographic balance of the general population. Certain communities are under-represented, including people from minority ethnic groups, rural populations, disabled people and sexual and gender minorities. Meanwhile, adoption of digital technologies has increased in the past decade, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. This Lancet article argues that this expansion of smartphone adoption and digital literacy needs to be more widely harnessed to improve access to clinical research. Remote, self-directed, digitally enabled participant experiences can expand core outreach efforts in health research and clinical trials. The authors suggest that digital pathways can help improve accessibility and representation, making research participation available to populations who face barriers in engaging with healthcare.

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