The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Cardiovascular Disease in Women Committee released a new report concluding that women, particularly women of color and minority women are still under-represented in a large majority of clinical cardiology (CVD) trials, in spite of enforced legal guidelines in place ensuring more inclusive policies and practices. The report illustrated that women were less likely to be represented particularly in trials for coronary artery disease, heart failure, and arrhythmia studies with devices and procedures. A major barrier that the Committee highlighted that is inhibiting the equal representation of women in trials is the low referral rates of female patients to cardiologists for specialized care, which in turn has resulted in a small number of women receiving treatment by specialists who may be recruiting for clinical trials.
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