Let's talk medical research

Today is World Health Day. The theme this year is celebrating the work of those who care for patients, such as partners, nurses, and midwives. While carers are always critical to the foundations of our healthcare system, it’s particularly important to recognize their essential jobs now, as they serve on the frontlines in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patient recruitment in clinical trials has a reputation for taking a long time and slowing down research. However, with the right patient recruitment strategies, enrolling patients doesn’t have to halt your trial’s progress. Below, you’ll find four strategies used by clinical trial patient recruitment companies to reach the “unreachable patient.”

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Current treatment can slow the progression of the disease and ease symptoms, but MS researchers are actively looking for a cure.

Receiving a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis can be a very emotional event. Some individuals might experience a sense of relief in finally discovering the reasons behind their mysterious symptoms, while others might feel scared and isolated. Regardless, it’s important for loved ones to help newly-diagnosed patients through the journey.

Should your nonprofit try a new digital channel for your ads in 2020? In a recent webinar, Antidote’s Digital Marketing Manager, David Tindell, discussed ways to approach platforms beyond Facebook, from Twitter and Spotify to Quora, Outbrain, and other lesser-known advertising mediums.

Can we apply customer service models to healthcare? And what would that mean for clinical trial patient recruitment?

Diane Kramer first noticed tingling and numbness in various parts of her body in 2000, but it wasn’t until 2010, when she began suffering from cluster headaches and lost all feeling on the left side of her body, that she went to speak with her primary care doctor. Diane, then a nurse, was immediately sent for an MRI which confirmed her diagnosis: Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS).

Every clinical trial planning process hits bumps in the road now and then, but a few common clinical trial recruitment challenges consistently slow the research process and keep new treatments out of patient hands. The solutions to the most common challenges aren’t necessarily simple, but they do start from the most important place – the patient perspective.

Ask any two trial sponsors how they feel about digital patient recruitment, and you’re likely to get two very different responses. Some have a positive experience and are able to reach their trial’s goals faster than they have with traditional methods. But others will warn you against a digital approach, citing unresponsive patients and wasted budget. It’s true that digital patient recruitment, ...

This year, Antidote’s New York office is celebrating its fifth anniversary. As we reflect on how we’ve grown over the last half-decade, we wanted to share five lessons we’ve learned about clinical trials patient engagement along the way.