Even as the U.S. population becomes steadily more diverse, minorities and women remain underrepresented in clinical trials to develop new drugs and medical devices. Although progress in increasing minority participation in clinical trials has occurred, participation rates do not fully represent the overall population of minorities in the United States. This underrepresentation threatens the health of both these populations and the general population, since greater minority representation could reveal factors that affect health in all populations. Federal legislation has sought to increase the representation of minorities and women in clinical trials, but legislation by itself has not been sufficient to overcome the many barriers to greater participation. Only much broader changes will bring about the meaningful participation of all population groups in the clinical research needed to improve health. To examine the barriers to participation in clinical trials and ways of overcoming those barriers, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in April 2015. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Even as the U.S. population becomes steadily more diverse, minorities and women remain underrepresented in clinical trials to develop new drugs and medical devices. Although progress in increasing minority participation in clinical trials has occurred, participation rates do not fully represent the overall population of minorities in the United States. This underrepresentation threatens the health of both these populations and the general population, since greater minority representation could reveal factors that affect health in all populations. Federal legislation has sought to increase the representation of minorities and women in clinical trials, but legislation by itself has not been sufficient to overcome the many barriers to greater participation. Only much broader changes will bring about the meaningful participation of all population groups in the clinical research needed to improve health. To examine the barriers to participation in clinical trials and ways of overcoming those barriers, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in April 2015. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

The COVID-19 pandemic is only the latest prompt about the importance of international health and its broad influence upon social wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for an informed and coordinated effort to achieve international healthcare equity. Leaders in international health must be conversant in its issues. Contemporary Issues in Global Medicine and Moving Toward International Healthcare Equity provides an understanding of contemporary issues in international medicine. It explores the impact of civil unrest on population health and provides practical strategies for providing clinical care in low resource settings. Covering topics such as international public health, maternal health, and drug resistance, this book is an essential resource for government officials, medical officials, physicians, nurses, social workers, sociologists, epidemiologists, medical students, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

The United States has long made substantial investments in clinical research with the goal of improving the health and well-being of our nation. There is no doubt that these investments have contributed significantly to treating and preventing disease and extending human life. Nevertheless, clinical research faces a critical shortcoming. Currently, large swaths of the U.S. population, and those that often face the greatest health challenges, are less able to benefit from these discoveries because they are not adequately represented in clinical research studies. While progress has been made with representation of white women in clinical trials and clinical research, there has been little progress in the last three decades to increase participation of racial and ethnic minority population groups. This underrepresentation is compounding health disparities, with serious consequences for underrepresented groups and for the nation. At the request of Congress, Improving Representation in Clinical Trials and Research: Building Research Equity for Women and Underrepresented Groups identifies policies, procedures, programs, or projects aimed at increasing the inclusion of these groups in clinical research and the specific strategies used by those conducting clinical trials and clinical and translational research to improve diversity and inclusion. This report models the potential economic benefits of full inclusion of men, women, and racial and ethnic groups in clinical research and highlights new programs and interventions in medical centers and other clinical settings designed to increase participation.

The pervasiveness of technology today has brought with it a bevy of ethical questions, many of which are difficult to answer. Average consumers place themselves at risk financially, professionally, and personally by everyday activities executed on computers and smartphones, and therein lies the responsibility of technologists and decision-makers to devise logical and ethical solutions. Exploring Ethical Problems in Today’s Technological World focuses on ethical dilemmas created by today's ever-changing technologies and how these issues have affected individuals, companies, and society. The book further explores key areas such as policies, abuses, consequences, and responsibilities of different technologies and their users. Covering topics such as hackers, smart homes, privacy, and social networking, this reference work is ideal for ethicists, computer scientists, policymakers, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, practitioners, and students studying ethics, law, security, human-computer interaction, and computer science.

Communication is a core skill for medical professionals when treating patients, and cancer and palliative care present some of the most challenging clinical situations. This book provides a comprehensive curriculum to help oncology specialists optimize their communication skills.