Navigating choice in the face of uncertainty: using a theory informed qualitative approach to identifying potential patient barriers and enablers to participating in an early phase chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy trial

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy versus conservative management for adults with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones: the C-GALL RCT

Background

Gallstone disease is a common gastrointestinal disorder in industrialised societies. The prevalence of gallstones in the adult population is estimated to be approximately 10-15%, and around 80% remain asymptomatic. At present, cholecystectomy is the default option for people with symptomatic gallstone disease.

Objectives

To assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of observation/conservative management compared with laparoscopic cholecystectomy for preventing recurrent symptoms and complications in adults presenting with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones in secondary care.

Design

Parallel group, multicentre patient randomised superiority pragmatic trial with up to 24 months follow-up and embedded qualitative research. Within-trial cost-utility and 10-year Markov model analyses. Development of a core outcome set for uncomplicated symptomatic gallstone disease.

Setting

Secondary care elective settings.

Participants

Adults with symptomatic uncomplicated gallstone disease referred to a secondary care setting were considered for inclusion.

Interventions

Participants were randomised 1: 1 at clinic to receive either laparoscopic cholecystectomy or observation/conservative management.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was quality of life measured by area under the curve over 18 months using the Short Form-36 bodily pain domain. Secondary outcomes included the Otago gallstones' condition-specific questionnaire, Short Form-36 domains (excluding bodily pain), area under the curve over 24 months for Short Form-36 bodily pain domain, persistent symptoms, complications and need for further treatment. No outcomes were blinded to allocation.

Results

Between August 2016 and November 2019, 434 participants were randomised (217 in each group) from 20 United Kingdom centres. By 24 months, 64 (29.5%) in the observation/conservative management group and 153 (70.5%) in the laparoscopic cholecystectomy group had received surgery, median time to surgery of 9.0 months (interquartile range, 5.6-15.0) and 4.7 months (interquartile range 2.6-7.9), respectively. At 18 months, the mean Short Form-36 norm-based bodily pain score was 49.4 (standard deviation 11.7) in the observation/conservative management group and 50.4 (standard deviation 11.6) in the laparoscopic cholecystectomy group. The mean area under the curve over 18 months was 46.8 for both groups with no difference: mean difference -0.0, 95% confidence interval (-1.7 to 1.7); p-value 0.996; n = 203 observation/conservative, n = 205 cholecystectomy. There was no evidence of differences in quality of life, complications or need for further treatment at up to 24 months follow-up. Condition-specific quality of life at 24 months favoured cholecystectomy: mean difference 9.0, 95% confidence interval (4.1 to 14.0), p < 0.001 with a similar pattern for the persistent symptoms score. Within-trial cost-utility analysis found observation/conservative management over 24 months was less costly than cholecystectomy (mean difference -£1033). A non-significant quality-adjusted life-year difference of -0.019 favouring cholecystectomy resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £55,235. The Markov model continued to favour observation/conservative management, but some scenarios reversed the findings due to uncertainties in longer-term quality of life. The core outcome set included 11 critically important outcomes from both patients and healthcare professionals.

Conclusions

The results suggested that in the short term (up to 24 months) observation/conservative management may be a cost-effective use of National Health Service resources in selected patients, but subsequent surgeries in the randomised groups and differences in quality of life beyond 24 months could reverse this finding. Future research should focus on longer-term follow-up data and identification of the cohort of patients that should be routinely offered surgery.

Trial registration

This trial is registered as ISRCTN55215960.

Funding

This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR award ref: 14/192/71) and is published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 28, No. 26. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Exploring the barriers to, and importance of, participant diversity in early-phase clinical trials: an interview-based qualitative study of professionals and patient and public representatives

OBJECTIVES

To explore the importance of, and barriers to achieving, diversity in early-phase clinical trials.

DESIGN

Qualitative interviews analysed using thematic analysis.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Five professionals (clinical researchers and methodologists) and three patient and public representatives (those with experience of early-phase clinical trials and/or those from ethnic minority backgrounds) were interviewed between June and August 2022. Participants were identified via their institutional web page, existing contacts or social media (eg, X, formerly known as Twitter).

RESULTS

Professionals viewed that diversity is not currently considered in all early-phase clinical trials but felt that it should always be taken into account. Such trials are primarily undertaken at a small number of centres, thus limiting the populations they can access. Referrals from clinicians based in the community may increase diversity; however, those referred are often not from underserved groups. Referrals may be hindered by the extra resources required to approach and recruit underserved groups and participants often having to undertake 'self-driven' referrals. Patient and public representatives stated that diversity is important in research staff and that potential participants should be informed of the need for diversity. Those from underserved groups may require clarification regarding the potential harms of a treatment, even if these are unknown. Education may improve awareness and perception of early-phase clinical trials. We provide 14 recommendations to improve diversity in early-phase clinical trials.

CONCLUSIONS

Diversity should be considered in all early-phase trials. Consideration is required regarding the extent of diversity and how it is addressed. The increased resources needed to recruit those from underserved groups may warrant funders to increase the funds to support the recruitment of such participants. The potential harms and societal benefits of the research should be presented to potential participants in a balanced but accurate way to increase transparency.

'The last bridge'- How patients experience the CAR T-cell therapy. A qualitative study

PURPOSE

CAR T-cell therapy gives patients new hope, who are diagnosed with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma or B-cell leukaemia. To date, there is no scientific knowledge about the experiences of patients with CAR T-cell therapy, their process of treatment decision making or how they handle potential side effects. The study aims at deepening the understanding of the patient's experiences, indicating how to improve nursing care for this patient population.

METHOD

A qualitative study was carried out. Episodic guideline-based interviews were conducted with 14 patients who had received CAR T-cell therapy. The data analysis was performed according to the Grounded Theory. The study took place at a German university hospital.

RESULTS

Data analysis showed five sequential phases including the following concepts: 'living with cancer recurrence', 'deciding on CAR T-cell therapy', 'waiting for the reinfusion of the CAR T-cells', 'experiencing CAR T-cell therapy' and 'recovering and staying healthy'. The decision for CAR T-cell therapy was characterised by the lack of alternatives and uncertainty about the outcome and side effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Before, during and after CAR T-cell therapy, patients are faced with major challenges for which they need nursing support and guidance. These include preparation for CAR T-cell therapy, handling of side effects and preparation for discharge home.

Experiences and perspectives on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy among recipients, carers and referrers (RE-TELL): a qualitative study to inform CAR T-cell service design

OBJECTIVES

RE-TELL is a qualitative study, which aims to understand patient, support person, clinician and coordinator experiences and perspectives of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, to inform design of a clinical CAR T-cell service in Aotearoa New Zealand.

DESIGN

Semistructured qualitative interviews focused on domains of: experience through treatment, elements that work well and those that could be improved on. Interviews used thematic analysis to identify key themes. A workshop was held to obtain participants' reflections on interim analysis and proposed improvements.

PARTICIPANTS

New Zealanders with experience of CAR T-cell therapy, including recipients, support persons, clinicians and coordinators.

RESULTS

We interviewed 19 participants comprising 5 CAR T-cell recipients, 3 support persons, 6 clinicians and 5 coordinators. Four participants identified as Māori. Thematic analysis identified three global themes. The first, 'sociocultural factors impact CAR T access', identified potential sources of inequity including geographic, financial and informed consent barriers. The second, 'varying emotions, roles and enablers', identified an easier treatment experience compared with alternatives; an underwhelming cell administration process; frustration with inpatient monitoring; burden on support persons and importance of 'bridge' organisations such as charities and patient support groups. Lastly, 'golden opportunities: reimagining CAR T service delivery', suggested: improved geographical access to CAR T-cell therapy, while retaining consolidated clinician experience; a 'dashboard' with information on CAR T-cell treatment, time frames and manufacture; a health navigator to co-ordinate non-medical aspects of treatment and signpost care; embedding of indigenous data sovereignty and ownership of cells; a cell infusion ceremony, incorporating family involvement and Māori cultural elements and outpatient administration and monitoring where possible.

CONCLUSION

This study documented the current experience of New Zealanders receiving CAR T-cell therapy and identified opportunities for future service development. These insights are relevant to service design within Aotearoa New Zealand, and other countries developing equitable CAR T-cell services.

Impact of an educational intervention for advanced cancer patients referred for early phase clinical trials

A 2017 service evaluation identified a lack of information and knowledge among patients who were referred on to early phase oncology clinical trials (Hood, 2020). An educational booklet was developed to improve patients' knowledge and experience. To build upon this work, a patient co-designed website was developed. This study examined the impact, if any, of a patient co-designed educational intervention within the clinical pathway for patients who are referred for an early phase oncology clinical trial at an experimental cancer medicine centre (ECMC).

AIMS

1. To understand the experiences of patients who have been referred to an ECMC for an early phase clinical trial pre- and post-intervention. 2. To investigate if the intervention reduced anxiety levels in newly referred patients.

METHOD

A convergent mixed-methods design was used in this study, to collect quantitative and qualitative data in parallel.

OUTCOMES

This study examined the experiences of advanced cancer patients who attended their initial research outpatient appointment to discuss the possibility of taking part in an early phase clinical trial and the impact of an educational resource.

Changing patient preferences toward better trial recruitment: an ethical analysis

While randomized controlled trials are essential to health research, many of these trials fail to recruit enough participants. Approaching recruitment through the lens of behavioral science can help trialists to understand influences on the decision to participate and use them to increase recruitment. Although this approach is promising, the use of behavioral influences during recruitment is in tension with the ethical principle of respect for persons, as at least some of these influences could be used to manipulate potential participants. In this paper, we examine this tension by discussing two types of behavioral influences: one example involves physician recommendations, and the other involves framing of information to exploit cognitive biases. We argue that despite the apparent tension with ethical principles, influencing trial participants through behavior change strategies can be ethically acceptable. However, we argue that trialists have a positive obligation to analyze their recruitment strategies for behavioral influences and disclose these upfront to the research ethics committee. But we also acknowledge that since neither trialists nor ethics committees are presently well equipped to perform these analyses, additional resources and guidance are needed. We close by outlining a path toward the development of such guidance.

Theory-guided interviews identified behavioral barriers and enablers to healthcare professionals recruiting participants to maternity trials

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a behavioral investigation, using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), to identify barriers and enablers to maternity healthcare professionals (HCP) inviting all eligible women to participate in a maternity care trial.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

We invited HCP recruiters from maternity care trials in high priority research areas including, diabetes, preeclampsia and breastfeeding, from across Ireland and the UK, to take part in a semi-structured interview. Data collection was informed by the TDF, followed by inductive thematic analysis and deductive mapping to the TDF.

RESULTS

Twenty-two recruiters including midwives, nurses, allied health professionals and doctors were interviewed online or by telephone phone. Thematic analysis generated four global themes; Availability and accessibility of resources, Navigating the recruitment pathway, Prioritising clinical responsibilities over research responsibilities and The influence of colleagues and peers. Themes were mapped to the TDF, identifying 13 domains relevant to the behaviour.

CONCLUSION

This paper identifies the factors enabling or inhibiting maternity HCP recruiters to invite all eligible women to participate in a maternity care trial. The findings provide guidance for researchers designing trials for this population and the essential first step in developing a recruiter-focused behaviour change intervention to support recruitment to trials in maternity care.

The development of theory-informed participant-centred interventions to maximise participant retention in randomised controlled trials

Background

A failure of clinical trials to retain participants can influence the trial findings and significantly impact the potential of the trial to influence clinical practice. Retention of participants involves people, often the trial participants themselves, performing a behaviour (e.g. returning a questionnaire or attending a follow-up clinic as part of the research). Most existing interventions that aim to improve the retention of trial participants fail to describe any theoretical basis for the potential effect (on behaviour) and also whether there was any patient and/or participant input during development. The aim of this study was to address these two problems by developing theory- informed, participant-centred, interventions to improve trial retention.

Methods

This study was informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework and Behaviour Change Techniques Taxonomy to match participant reported determinants of trial retention to theoretically informed behaviour change strategies. The prototype interventions were described and developed in a co-design workshop with trial participants. Acceptability and feasibility (guided by (by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability) of two prioritised retention interventions was explored during a focus group involving a range of trial stakeholders (e.g. trial participants, trial managers, research nurses, trialists, research ethics committee members). Following focus group discussions stakeholders completed an intervention acceptability questionnaire.

Results

Eight trial participants contributed to the co-design of the retention interventions. Four behaviour change interventions were designed: (1) incentives and rewards for follow-up clinic attendance, (2) goal setting for improving questionnaire return, (3) participant self-monitoring to improve questionnaire return and/or clinic attendance, and (4) motivational information to improve questionnaire return and clinic attendance. Eighteen trial stakeholders discussed the two prioritised interventions. The motivational information intervention was deemed acceptable and considered straightforward to implement whilst the goal setting intervention was viewed as less clear and less acceptable.

Conclusions

This is the first study to develop interventions to improve trial retention that are based on the accounts of trial participants and also conceptualised and developed as behaviour change interventions (to encourage attendance at trial research visit or return a trial questionnaire). Further testing of these interventions is required to assess effectiveness.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-022-06218-8.

Understanding potential barriers and enablers to a perioperative early phase cell therapy trial

BACKGROUND AIMS

Early-phase cell therapy clinical trials depend on patient and physician involvement, yet barriers can impede their participation.

METHODS

To optimize engagement for a planned cell therapy trial to prevent perioperative cardiac complications, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with at-risk patients and physicians who could potentially be involved in the study. The authors used the theoretical domains framework to systematically identify potential barriers and enablers.

RESULTS

Forty-one interviews were conducted to reach data saturation, and four overall potential barriers to participation (themes) were identified. Theme 1 emphasizes that patients and physicians need accessible information to better understand the benefits and risks of the novel therapy and trial procedures and to address misconceptions. Theme 2 underscores the need for clarity on whether the trial's primary purpose is safety or efficacy, as this may influence patient and physician decisions. Theme 3 recognizes the resource and logistic realities for patients (e.g., convenient follow-up appointments) and physicians (e.g., personnel to assist in trial procedures, competing priorities). Theme 4 describes the importance of social influences (e.g., physicians and family, peers/colleagues) that may affect decisions to participate and the importance of patient preferences (e.g., availability of physicians to discuss the trial, including caregivers in discussions).

CONCLUSIONS

Prospectively addressing these issues may help optimize feasibility prior to conducting an expensive, resource-intensive trial.