Clinical trials change the world. They help uncover the answers to specific questions involving new treatments and known interventions continuing in research. In order for a clinical trial to happen, qualified patients need to be identified and recruited. Many pharmaceutical professionals find it challenging to recruit patients for their clinical trials. In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at patient recruitment strategies and how they can be used to recruit patients for your clinical trial.
Put Yourself in the Patient’s Shoes
If you were a potential patient, or perhaps a caregiver that was looking for better treatment options, where would you look for answers? Who would you talk to? One of the keys to enrolling your clinical trial is expanding awareness of it to your audience. Connecting with the right healthcare providers, specialists, and investigators is important but, not everyone is capable of visiting with their physicians regularly. Social media is a resource that allows patients to seek out information about their conditions and share information about themselves with a broad network. By connecting with potential patients on networks such as Facebook, you can educate them about your clinical trial and the key inclusion and exclusion criteria for potential patients. Social media provides an opportunity to educate your audience about the end goal of the clinical trial as well as the benefits the patient may realize from it, from the comfort of their own home. Educating before you begin recruitment will help bolster success rate.
Partner with a Patient-Centric Clinical Trial Recruitment Company
There are companies that specialize in patient recruitment for clinical trials, and one worth partnering with will already have success stories and a wide variety of strategies to choose from. In addition, you’ll want a patient recruitment company that has flexibility, meaning the strategy can be customized to not only your needs but, to the needs of the patients you’re engaging with as well.
TrialTech Medical works closely with the sponsor and CRO study teams to identify key protocol-specific study recruitment challenges. We then create study-specific recruitment strategies that use artificial intelligence to continuously improve its outreach to patients and caregivers. Our approach results in improved study awareness and better patient enrollment. See how we can further help you with our clinical trial patient recruitment services.
Study Participant Retention
Engaging and recruiting patients for your study poses many difficulties, and patient retention is equally complicated. Participants may encounter any number of logistical challenges from travel to and from site visits, to reimbursement. Even after your study begins, it’s important to continue to communicate with your patients regularly. Engagement can include reminder emails or text messages about upcoming appointments, as well as expectations and required preparation. It is always beneficial to identify and address any questions that they may have.
Lastly, continue to remind them of the potential benefits that will follow the completion of the clinical trial. Effective communication and logistical support will ensure higher retention rates for your study.
Identifying a company that offers patient concierge services and provides logistical support such as managing travel arrangements is a valuable partnership for patient retention. Scarritt Group has over 20 years of experience in arranging travel and hotel accommodations. We understand the importance of your study and work tirelessly to make things easy and user friendly for your participants.
For more information about how TrialTech Medical and Scarritt Group can help you recruit and retain patients for your clinical trials, contact us online or give us a call at 1 (520) 498-2900.