With over 130,000 registered clinical trials in the U.S., clinical research coordinators (CRCs) face more challenges than ever when building effective patient retention and engagement strategies. Fortunately, today’s clinical trial professionals realize that the most effective ways to retain patients are by creating human connections and maintaining effective communication. So how can CRCs begin championing their patients, especially when technology, which can be effective in retention, can also create barriers to successful patient relationships? Below we reveal top patient retention challenges and best practices from clinical trial experts. We also discuss actionable tips and strategies from CRCs and CROs on ways to build better communication, compliance, and human connections with patients to ensure successful clinical trials.
CRCs & Clinical Trial Retention Challenges
To understand today’s patient retention challenges, it’s vital to listen to those on the front lines – the clinical research coordinators. Endominance spoke with Monica Vel, Clinical Research Coordinator Associate at the Stanford University School of Medicine, on retention obstacles she faces when working with patients. She reveals in an email, “Communication [is one challenge] and is key when it comes to trials. Without effective communication, conflicts arise, and dropout rates also tend to rise. I think the best approach to alleviating dropout rates as a coordinator is to make sure to know your protocol and create a standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure that both you and the patient know what visit is coming next and what that visit entails.”
Vel also adds, “Another [issue] is compliance. Patients may not always comply with completing questionnaires. As a coordinator, you must maintain constant communication and always check the EDC [Electronic Data Capture] to ensure everything has been completed within the window. But at the end of the day, as long as you know you did all you could, that’s all that matters when managing trials.” With CRC challenges also come unfortunate statistics. According to researchers, 48 percent of sites miss enrollment targets, and 80 percent of trials are delayed due to recruitment.
Additionally, the dropout rate of clinical trials is 30 percent, which adds another confounding factor. So, what does the future hold for CRCs, and where do they go from here? It’s time to create more patient-centric trials.
Patient Centricity: Why the “Human Touch” Matters
After learning about common CRC challenges, it is easy to see why best practices like effective communication, compliance, and meeting timelines are essential for better patient engagement and retention. And yes, decentralized clinical trials (DCT) can increase engagement by allowing participants to join trials and submit data from their doctor’s offices and even their homes through different forms of technology. But as clinical trials embrace DCT to improve patient retention, it’s essential to factor in the power of human connection. Sponsors and CRCs must remember that going through a clinical trial may be hard or scary for a patient, especially if it’s their first one. This is where patient centricity and the human touch truly matter.
In a previous article on today’s CROs, Brad Hightower, CEO of Hightower Clinical and host of Note to File, tells Endominance, “I believe the most successful patient recruitment and retention strategies will continue to be those that focus on the human connection. As long as technology can find ways to build this bridge better, rather than try to replace it, there is hope that tech solutions can drive progress.” So how can CRCs implement this compassionate approach? When asked about connecting better with patients, Monica Vel tells Endominance, “I think the best way is to stay neutral but also empathize with their situation. There is obviously a reason they agreed to participate in the trial, and making sure that you are there for them every step of the way is really assuring to them and makes them feel more inclined to participate. Just remind them that what they’re doing as a participant will help someone else in the future.”
How to Bolster Communication & Deepen Connections With Patients
Building relationships and trust are vital in the patient/CRC dynamic. But how can clinical trial professionals actually develop these critical bonds? Below we gathered highly actionable tips and strategies from clinical trial experts for improving communication, connection, and a trusting relationship with patients to ensure clinical trial success.
Develop Accessible Information
According to the clinical trial organization MDGroup, patient centricity starts with developing accessible services, information, and support that meet patients’ needs. These measures help improve clinical trial retention rates by increasing engagement, easing concerns, and building trust. An article by the company suggests that “By using accessible language and creating need-based content makes your participants feel understood and supported. As a result, they become invested in the trial and its goal, making them less likely to drop out.” The article also adds, “Examples of accessible language include using active language, avoiding the passive voice, and always defining words that participants may not already know. For example, we use colorful brochures and simple explanations in the patient’s native language.”
Involve Patients in the Clinical Trial Design
According to an article in Nature, the involvement of participants in the planning and execution of clinical trials is critical not only to their success but also so that the participating communities can benefit from them. One of the article’s authors, Gary Hickey, offers his thoughts, “When patients are involved, they can offer plenty of insight into their lived experience of a condition or service.” Hickey also suggests how involved patients should be in the trial process. He states, “Patients can help shape the research questions, research instruments, and outcome measures, ensuring that the research is relevant to end users and that questionnaires and interview questions are comprehensive and legible to patients and the public.”
Understand Patients on a Deeper Level
Building better connections with patients should begin during the prescreening process. This critical stage is a unique opportunity for CRCs to not only make sure potential study participants are the right fit – but it can also be a time to understand patients on a deeper, more personal level. At Endominance, we are developing innovative solutions that help CRCs go beyond the standard inclusion/exclusion prescreening criteria and look at patients on a more granular basis. Our novel biotech tool aims to streamline recruiting and retention by helping CRCs gain deeper insights into patients in areas including communication, compatibility, resilience, and compliance. Our tool provides answers to critical questions such as, “Will this participant follow instructions properly? Will they be the best match for the assigned staff? Will they be persistent and less sensitive to stressors? We believe creating a personalized gateway connecting clinical research staff and study participants can help today’s CRCs reach new levels of patient retention, engagement, and overall clinical trial success.
