Cancer and clinical trial literacy, multiplatform
What Protocol & People has built, and what funding does next
Everyone offered a cancer clinical trial has to weigh randomization, placebo and consent in one of the hardest weeks of their life, usually from documents written well above their reading level. Protocol & People writes the plain version, one question at a time, gives it away free, and offers print, organization versions and talks to the organizations that serve those patients.
What exists today
Alongside the cards there is an animated series, a newsletter that goes deeper on trials, three short games that show which ideas people get wrong, and posts across seven social platforms.
The problem it is built for
Trial information has been measured many times, and the findings point the same way: the problem affects every patient offered a trial, and language compounds it.
- Across 798 federally funded trials, the mean consent form reading level was grade 12.0, and each additional grade was associated with 16% higher dropout.
- Of 14,367 trials, 19% required English and 2.7% mentioned translation at all.
- Question prompt lists, the kind of tool this deck is, have randomized evidence across 14 trials and 2,678 patients in cancer care: people given one ask more questions and feel more able to decide, and the consultation does not run longer.
- Of 89 question prompt lists published by 64 NCI-designated cancer centers, 7.9% were available in more than one language.
Free for patients, available to organizations
Free, permanently
The cards, books, games and planner are free to every patient and family, with no advertising.
For organizations
- Printed decks, planners and books for waiting rooms
- A version of the site with an organization's own contacts beside every answer
- New languages, which then stay free for everyone
- Talks and workshops for patient groups, research staff and clinic teams
Independent of sponsors
Sponsors never write, edit or approve a card, and no product, drug, company or specific trial is named. The full terms are in the editorial policy.
What funding does next
- Clinician review of every translationStructured review of each language by practicing clinicians who speak it, paid at an honorarium, before the translations are promoted.
- A patient and caregiver advisory groupA standing, multilingual group drawn from the people the cards already reach, who set the questions the next round of work answers.
- A comprehension pilot in clinicA study of whether the cards change what patients ask, what they remember and how prepared they feel. People can already sign up to help test the cards.
- The printed volumesIllustrated, clinically reviewed books, starting with the trials volume, sold to health systems and infusion centers. The pilot comes first so that what gets printed is what was shown to work.
- A larger studyWith pilot data and a patient partnership in place, a federally funded study in the populations that need it most.
The people
Oyepeju Abioye-Akintola, MD, MSc
Co-founder
Internal medicine physician training toward thoracic medical oncology, and a 2026-2027 Health Equity Fellow with Health Affairs, through its Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees (HEFT). Her fellowship research measures the reading level of oncology trial consent documents on ClinicalTrials.gov. Co-author of Cards on the Table.
Ayooluwa Akintola, PhD
Co-founder
Holds a PhD in process systems engineering, the discipline of modeling and optimizing complex systems, and is a senior associate in quantitative analytics, with more than a decade of experience across engineering and analytics. He brings expertise in data and operations to the team.
Meghna Mathews, MD
Co-author, Cards on the Table
Internal medicine physician and co-author of the card deck.
Talk to us
Email us to talk about funding the next stage, a partnership, or a version of the cards for the people you serve.
Email info@protocolandpeople.org Press kit