Challenging. Time-consuming. Expensive. Do words like these spring to mind when contemplating the patient recruitment process for clinical trials? Indeed, the challenge of recruiting patients is felt across the life sciences industry.
"Most trials still rely primarily on investigators to find patients as well as traditional, old-media avenues to spread the word. But these tactics aren't as effective as they should be," says public relations specialist Dian Griesel, Ph.D. "If you are in charge of recruiting patients for clinical trials and you aren't harnessing the power of social media and the web, you're compromising your trial's ultimate recruitment goals."
Griesel offers this advice regarding the use of digital media and social platforms to recruit for trials:
- Utilize search engines to find every medical-oriented website that your target patient population is likely to visit. Then place notices on these sites announcing trial recruitment. The notices should get across the key messages about the trial and instruct potential patients where to go for more information.
- Consider creating a free podcast that discusses the goals of the trial. Or you could host and record a video conference that lives on your website, allowing the researchers to discuss the aims and other details of the trial.
- Many influential bloggers have interests in specific medical conditions and are sympathetic about upcoming clinical trials. Contact these bloggers and see if they would be willing to post information about your trial.
- Make your website as functional, neat, clean and informative as possible. All trial information should be there and easy for visitors to access. The website could include an interactive screening tool to let patients determine if they are eligible for participation.
- Compose a short article that features engaging, informative information about the medical condition your trial is investigating. In the last paragraph, highlight your upcoming trial and tell readers how to get in touch for more information about recruitment. The article can be posted online via wire services.
- On Twitter, remember that you can create any hashtag you like or use an existing one and tweet it alongside a link to your trial recruitment web page.
"The digital era is here to stay, and the future of effective patient recruitment lies online," adds Griesel. "Keep some of these insights in mind, and you will be doing the absolute best to prepare for the patient recruitment phase of your next clinical trial."