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A recent consensus statement from the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Clinical Research Collaborative underscores the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in cardiovascular research ( Kunadian et al, 2025 ). Despite cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death among women in the UK, females still account for only about 30% of clinical trial participants. The statement highlights barriers including restrictive trial designs, scheduling constraints and biased inclusion criteria, and recommends strategies such as flexible appointments, transport support, more diverse trial leadership and sex- and gender-stratified reporting. Improving representation is critical to ensure that evidence is robust, reliable and applicable to all patients. In this month's Research Roundup presented by the British Association of Nursing in Cardiovascular Care (BANCC), Van Miert et al showcase recent studies reflecting the need for inclusive, patient-centred approaches, spanning coronary artery disease in very young women, the impact of antidepressant therapy in women veterans, technology-enabled rehabilitation in middle-income settings and lifestyle behaviours in South Asian populations.
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Miert et al. (2025) studied this question.
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