One of the most pervasive struggles for clinical trial researchers is identifying and enrolling qualified trial participants. Traditional meth­ods are not only costly, but they also too often fail to draw an adequate pool of qualified participants.

When enrollment goals are not met, delays ensue and additional re­sources must be invested. Nearly 70% of all clinical trials experience delays due to recruitment issues.

The industry has long relied on tra­ditional direct-to-patient marketing tactics such as television commercials, billboards and Google ads to identify trial participants. These methods are typically expensive and attract an avalanche of self-referred patients who often do not meet inclusion and ex­clusion requirements. In many cases, these patients do not even have the primary disease the trial is studying.

What’s the solution to identifying more qualified patients, streamline the enrollment process and keep trials on time and on budget?

Patients are more likely to partici­pate in trials when they learn about them from their doctors, so it makes sense to consider a data-driven, pa­tient-centric approach supported by the trusted relationships that patients already have with their physicians. Not surprisingly, 72% of Americans say it’s likely they would participate in a clinical trial if recommended by their doctor.

By combining the power of the trusted physician-patient relation­ship with sophisticated analytics that compliantly match patients’ EHR data with inclusion and exclusion criteria of currently enrolling clinical trials in the area, more qualified patients can be referred to more trials.

In order to improve clinical trial patient identification and enroll­ment, we need a “last mile” solution that attracts more participation from referring physicians to create a larger pool of qualified participants. This approach will lead to greater efficien­cies, expanded access to advanced care for more patients—and fewer costly delays due to missed enroll­ment goals.

Written by Guest Writer Greg Sweatt. Sweatt is Senior Vice President of Life Sciences for ePatientFinder, which provides a secure technology platform for physicians and clinical trial sites that allows them to compliantly leverage EHR data and make it actionable. www.epatientfinder.com

This article was reprinted from Volume 24, Issue 01, of The CenterWatch Monthly, an industry leading publication providing hard-hitting, authoritative business and financial coverage of the clinical research space. The Action Items section features short columns  focusing on actionable or how-to advice from clinical trial professionals. To submit an Action Item, please contact editorial@centerwatch.com. Subscribe >>