Patient recruitment and retention is a fundamental tenet to achieving successful clinical trials.
Something Janis Brix, CEO Wigwam understands.
At Dokumeds CRO, we have an established reputation and outstanding track record of meeting recruitment targets for our sponsors.
Patient Recruitment
Patient recruitment is not only one of the major tenets in clinical trials but also a challenging process.
Attracting the right talents at the right time and retaining such a talent pool is a crucial factor to the success of clinical trials.
Clinical trials are facing enormous challenges in the current COVID-19 pandemic, especially in finding eligible patients at the right time for research.
Dokumeds CRO has enormous experience in overcoming such challenges through dedicated approach to patient recruitment in clinical trials.
Why Patient Recruitment Remains a Challenging Task
Recruiting patients for a clinical trial involves planning, selecting, and retaining the subjects.
The bureaucracy of the process exposes it to myriad risks and impediments, which can compromise the process.
These challenges revolve around the following factors:
Choosing a location and characteristics
The location of the clinical trial site and attributes significantly impact on the first patient pool.
Multiple factors must be considered while selecting a trial site, including but not limited to the anticipated number of individuals requiring diagnosis; the medical and transport system infrastructure; and the site profile and availability of competitors for the patients.
Design and implementation of the study
The design of a study is crucial in defining an “ideal patient.”
Poor selection criteria may exclude the right patients or include irrelevant subjects for the study.
Many tests or invasive screening may deter patients from participating in clinical trials.
The motivation and experience of the investigators
Hiring the right investigator for a clinical trial is fundamental to the success of the process.
An ideal investigator is organized and possesses the relevant knowledge and experience of the illness or sickness under investigation.
Dedicated and experienced teams have performed better in meeting patient recruitment projections.
How to improve the patient recruiting process
Embrace a holistic approach
There is a dire need to take charge of the entire recruitment process during the study.
Instead of allowing a disjointed recruitment process, it is essential to have a single manager oversee the process from start to finish.
Prioritize feasibility study in the planning phase
Planning phase hinges significantly on the effectiveness of the feasibility study.
This phase will specify the study methodology and impact significantly on the availability of patients for recruitment.
Adopt a viable screening and early enrollment processes.
In many clinical studies, this is an overstated description of a common trend: to ensure sufficient patients are available before the actual cutoff date, many project leaders choose a “wide funnel” and aim to enlist as many users as they can, to achieve the required number of participants.
However, such an approach is laborious and may cause unprecedented delays.
If your research protocol necessitates more time-consuming or comprehensive testing while screening, you may unintentionally generate reporting backlogs.
Lastly, any patients who do not pass the screening phase may become demotivated to participate in future research projects.
Explore alternative recruitment plans
There is a need to modify the recruitment calendar to mitigate the impacts of participants who withdraw from the study.
The type of study is likely to determine the appropriate adjustments you need to consider. Seeking early consent and enrollment is critical in achieving an effective recruitment process.
Consider patient’s experience
Patients who report positive experience during the recruitment process are less likely to drop out of the study.
The investigators may evaluate the patients based on their immediate relatives or caregivers.
A patient-friendly and non-intrusive recruiting procedure will, in the end, make the process more pleasant for patients while reducing the burden on doctors and other staff members.
Ultimately, the process will be seamless, timely, and without any delays.
The outstanding patient recruitment strategy adopted by Dokumeds is the key pillar behind our success in clinical trials.
Our ultimate priority before the first site initiation revolves around the project, and site and country level enrollment.
Dokumeds employs a sound approach to patient recruitment in clinical trials, involving the identification and mitigation of recruitment challenges through effective peer-to-peer site communication.