Working with underrepresented groups: lessons from the SCHEMA trial

Foscarini-Craggs, Paula, Iranpour, Arman, Doorn, Katie Aafjes-van, Franklin, Matthew, Harrison, Toni Leigh, McKinnon, Iain, McNamara, Rachel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7280-1611, Randell, Elizabeth ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1606-3175, Rose, Sophie, Condie, Jennifer, Zubala, Ania, Riaz, Muhammad ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5512-1745 and Hackett, Simon 2026. Working with underrepresented groups: lessons from the SCHEMA trial. Trials 27 (1) , 146. 10.1186/s13063-026-09560-3

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Abstract

There is a growing focus on ensuring research is accessible and inclusive to individuals traditionally not represented. To be truly inclusive, the broader context needs to be explored, as barriers might not only be linked to population characteristics but also to the complexity of their environment, and limited research opportunity within certain healthcare professions. The SCHEMA trial is a randomised controlled trial evaluating whether interpersonal art psychotherapy is effective at reducing aggressive behaviour in individuals with learning disability or borderline intellectual function in secure care. The trial illustrates the challenges and solutions to conducting research in secure care settings, a challenging environment, with an underrepresented patient population and healthcare professionals unfamiliar with conducting research. To better understand the challenges, a survey was circulated to understand site staff’s general experience with research and their specific experiences of the SCHEMA trial. Difficulty of balancing research with other responsibilities and a fear of making a mistake were the most common barriers. The top two facilitators were working with collaborators and the presence of clear guidelines and protocols. Site setup was identified as the most challenging stage of the trial, while follow-up data collection was identified as the least challenging. In response to these challenges, the central trial team worked closely with site staff to provide tailored support to address the unique needs of the healthcare professionals and participant population.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Medicine Research Institutes & Centres > Centre for Trials Research (CNTRR)
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/, Type: open-access
Publisher:	BioMed Central
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 February 2026
Date of Acceptance:	6 February 2026
Last Modified:	25 Feb 2026 09:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/185258

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