Use of a Best Practice Alert (BPA) to Increase Diversity Within a US-Based Autism Research Cohort.

Researchers tested a computer alert system to help recruit diverse families for autism research. The alerts worked better at regular pediatric clinics than specialty clinics, getting more interest from families with private insurance and non-white families. However, alerts for families with public insurance were often dismissed by doctors, suggesting some bias in who gets offered research opportunities.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a best practice alert (BPA) system in recruiting diverse families into autism research. The researchers compared response outcomes between pediatric primary care practices serving diverse communities and subspecialty clinics. Results showed that primary care practices had higher rates of interest from families with private insurance (60.9% vs. 46.2%) and non-white patients (47.7% vs. 33.3%) compared to subspecialty clinics. However, alerts for patients with public insurance were more frequently dismissed at primary care practices (30.1% vs. 20.0%), suggesting potential selection bias among pediatricians in determining which families receive study information.

Best practice alerts in primary care settings may improve recruitment of diverse families for autism research, but provider bias may limit access for some populations. Training and guidelines may be needed to ensure equitable research opportunity distribution.

Sample size not reported. Study design unclear from abstract. Limited detail on alert implementation or provider training. Potential confounding factors not addressed. No information on actual enrollment outcomes or long-term effectiveness.

We evaluated the success of a best practice alert (BPA) in recruiting underrepresented families into an autism spectrum disorder research cohort by comparing BPA-response outcomes (Interested, Declined, Enrolled, Dismissed) in pediatric primary care practices (TCPs) serving diverse communities with those of subspecialty clinics. Compared to subspecialty clinics, TCPs had higher proportions of Interested responses for patients with private insurance (60.9% vs. 46.2%), Dismissed responses for patients with public insurance (30.1% vs. 20.0%), and Interested responses for non-white patients (47.7% vs. 33.3%). A targeted BPA can help researchers access more diverse groups and improve equitable representation. However, select groups more often had their alert dismissed, suggesting possible selection bias among some pediatricians regarding who should receive information about study opportunities.