Oncology Advanced Practice Provider Mentorship and Paired Clinical Research Coordinator Support to Enhance Accrual to NCI Supportive Care Trials.

Background: Patient access to clinical trials has been identified as a key measure for delivery of quality cancer care. Effective recruitment and retention strategies remain an issue. Furthermore, clinical trial participants historically lack diversity. This project focused on advanced practice provider (APP) mentorship and paired clinical research support to enhance minority accrual to supportive care trials in Hawai'i.

Methods: Over a 1-year period, a formal mentorship program for six participating APPs and three clinical research coordinators (CRCs) in the Hawai'i Minority/Underserved National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (HI M/U NCORP) was implemented. An introductory meeting kicked off the project. The APP and CRC teams then met weekly for targeted screening and accrual to supportive care trials. Monthly meetings between the mentor and teams were conducted to discuss barriers, best practices, and problem solve issues.

Results: 26 unique accruals were obtained by the APP and CRC teams over the project period while increasing minority accrual. All six APPs are now actively enrolling to trials. Four of the six participating APPs are now reviewing protocols for the HI M/U NCORP for feasibility and scientific merit. Eight of the nine participating APPs and CRCs found the intervention to be acceptable and feasible.

Conclusions: Mentorship of APP and CRC teams can be a successful strategy in increasing accrual and participation of APPs in clinical trial activities. Measuring minority accrual based on this strategy is more complex and dependent on the APP location, clinical trial portfolio, APP patient panel and clinical interest, as well as the expertise of the APP.