How Technology Can Improve Patient Centricity in Clinical Trials
Patient-centric clinical trial design begins with having conversations with patients. Though it's important to do this work in person, technology can help support your efforts, too. From study design to follow up, today's clinical trial tools offer more ways than ever to connect with patients who are actively interested in clinical trial participation, and keep them engaged throughout your trial.
Study design
All clinical trial design should start with the patient experience in mind. Technology can help supplement in-person conversations your team has with a patient focus group or with advocacy organizations. For example, your team may use data from previous trials to choose site locations that will be convenient for the most patients. Large-scale surveys conducted with the help of patient advocacy organizations can help your team quickly gather feedback on patient needs for your trial. A trial may also incorporate data collection through electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO), which studies suggest are more engaging for patients and allow you to collect more accurate data.
Patient recruitment
Patient-centric recruitment involves thinking about the patient journey from their perspective. Technology allows a recruitment company or research site to create a seamless experience that helps guide the patient toward enrolling in your trial. For example, a patient may respond to a relevant digital ad, fill out a prescreener, and then receive clear instructions for next steps via email. Digital advertising also allows recruiters to quickly respond to patient questions by using chatbots or responding to Facebook comments or email inquiries.
Patient engagement
Electronic patient-reported outcomes have several potential benefits for clinical trials. Patients are more likely to provide responses in a timely – and accurate – manner when using ePRO. Trial teams are also better able to engage patients throughout your trial by sending text message reminders and other alerts throughout your trial.
Consider your patient population when choosing what technology to further improve engagement. For example, patients who may have trouble typing due to symptoms may prefer to use voice-to-text technology to enter their information. And while bring-your-own-device (BYOD) can be helpful for cost saving, consider whether requiring certain devices would limit participation in your trial.
Technology can also help reduce your trial's patient burden by helping reduce the number of site visits a patient needs to complete. Consider providing a blend of in-person visits and check-ins over video. You may also consider offering the study drug by mail to cut back on site visits, which can be accomplished with a savvy Interactive Response Technology (IRT) system.
Running a patient-centric trial requires time and effort throughout your trial, but including the patient voice also brings better treatments that work for more patients. If you're looking for help using technology to enroll patients in your trial, download our case studies. We outline how Antidote works with our network of 270+ partners to connect patients with research.
