多方面临床试验招募方法的优点

By Carolyn Gretton Merits of a Multifaceted Approachto Clinical Trial Recruitment Table of Contents Incorporates online outreach04 Improves diversity in recruitment06 A view from the site side07 Expanding beyond one partner09 Cover all facets of recruitment with Citeline Connect12 Merits of a Multifaceted Approachto Clinical Trial Recruitment Clinical trial recruitment remains a difficult, time-consuming, and expensive prospect for sponsors andsites. According to the 2024 study “Benchmarking Site Activation and Patient Enrollment,” across all sites,33% under-enrolled, and 14% failed to enroll a single patient. The enrollment timeline across all trials wasnearly 15 months on average. The best way to approach these difficulties is to adopt a multifaceted approach to recruitment that goesbeyond traditional channels and ways of thinking. This includes bringing the patient front and centerin recruitment efforts, engaging healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in dialogue about clinical trials, andexpanding recruitment partnerships. Nazar Hembara, CEO of AllClinicalTrials.com (formerlyCurify), compares the idea of using only traditionalrecruiting methods to a bookstore that refuses to sellbooks online, or a shop that insists on only rentingout VHS tapes in the age of streaming services —“charming, perhaps, but not very effective.” Of course, even in 2024, bookstores still exist, so it is notto say traditional methods do not work well, he says.“However, it’s very risky to rely on them only. Combiningtraditional approaches with new, multifaceted strategiesensures we reach as many potential participants aspossible.” “Other industries have adapted faster by embracingmultiple channels to connect with their audience, and ifwe don’t do the same in clinical trial recruitment, we riskbeing left behind like that nostalgic VHS rental shop,”Hembara says. Merits of a Multifaceted Approachto Clinical Trial Recruitment Incorporates online outreach Sites often rely on their own patient databases for trialrecruitment. While a good place to start, these databasesare often limited in scope and not equal to the task offully enrolling the study, not to mention fulfilling therequirements for a diverse study population. The question then becomes how to go about expandingthe patient base. Some sites expand their recruitingefforts to local hospitals and community health centers.But as Ram Bhat, co-founder of Clinrol, observes,this still limits recruitment efforts to those alreadyconnected to the healthcare system. A multifaceted strategy expands this reach byincorporating digital tools as well as local outreach. Thisincreases diversity and geographic coverage, makingclinical trials more inclusive and efficient. According to Bhat, one of the ways a multifacetedrecruitment approach builds upon traditional methodsis by leveraging modern digital platforms such as socialmedia, search engine optimization (SEO), and targetedonline ads. It also involves partnerships with patientadvocacy groups and local general practitioners, whichallows trials to reach a broader audience — including thosewho may not regularly engage with healthcare providers. “For example, targeted social media campaignson platforms like Facebook and Instagram enableresearchers to reach specific demographics basedon interests and behaviors, increasing the numberand quality of participants,” he says. “This diversified,multifaceted recruitment model, which includes digitalchannels that can be localized instantly with a click ofa button, is particularly effective in reaching hard-to-access populations, such as those in rural or minoritycommunities or those who do not speak the locallanguage spoken by site staff, which might be missedby traditional site-based recruitment methods.” conditions often search online for information on howto manage their symptoms and improve their quality oflife,” he says. “When they encounter ads for experimentaltreatments during their search, they are more likely tobe interested and consider participating in a clinicaltrial. This direct alignment with their immediate needsincreases engagement and enrollment rates.” By contrast, patients with common conditions that don’tseverely affect daily life, such as chronic sinusitis, maynot respond as well to digital ads because they may notbe actively seeking new treatments. “In these cases,outreach to patient communities can yield better results,”Hembara says. “Engaging with these communitiesconnects us with individuals who are motivated tocontribute to research, sometimes more out of altruismthan a need to improve their own quality of life.” One big advantage of the multifaceted recruitmentstrategy is its flexibility. “This diversified approach isessential because you never know which method willyield the best results for a particular study, even ifcertain strategies have been successful in the past,”Hembara says. A multifaceted recruitment strategy is dynamic enoughto navigate the complexitie