Research Inclusion Across the Lifespan: A Good Start, but There Is More Work to Be Done

While older adults account for a disproportionate amount of healthcare spending, they are often underrepresented in clinical research needed to guide clinical care. The purpose of this perspective is to make readers aware of new data on age at enrollment for participants included in National Institu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of general internal medicine : JGIM 2023-06, Vol.38 (8), p.1966-1969
Main Authors: Bowling, C. Barrett, Thomas, Jennifer, Gierisch, Jennifer M., Bosworth, Hayden B., Plantinga, Laura
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aged
Best practice
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Humans
Internal Medicine
Life span
Longevity
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
National Institutes of Health (U.S.)
Older people
Perspective
Research Report
United States - epidemiology
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Summary:While older adults account for a disproportionate amount of healthcare spending, they are often underrepresented in clinical research needed to guide clinical care. The purpose of this perspective is to make readers aware of new data on age at enrollment for participants included in National Institutes of Health (NIH)–funded clinical research. We highlight key findings of relevance to general internal medicine and suggest ways readers could support the inclusion of older adults in clinical research. Data from the NIH Research Inclusion Statistics Report show that there were 881,385 participants enrolled in all NIH-funded clinical research in 2021, of whom 170,110 (19%) were 65 years and older. However, on average, studies included a far lower percentage of older adults. Additionally, there were many conditions for which overall enrollment rates for older adults were lower than would be expected. For example, while 10% of participants in studies related to diabetes were ≥ 65 years old, older individuals represent 43% of all prevalent diabetes in the USA. Researchers should work with clinicians to advocate for older adults and ensure their participation in clinical research. Best practices and resources for overcoming common barriers to the inclusion of older adults in research could also be disseminated.
ISSN:0884-8734
1525-1497
DOI:10.1007/s11606-023-08182-8