With the rise of virtual trials and socially-distanced research protocols, sites everywhere are turning to digital solutions to keep their research going in these testing times. However, in doing so, researchers are encountering one, critical, recurring issue: an uncertainty over how to integrate these solutions into their existing protocol. A common myth about switching from traditional patient recruitment methods to that offered by digital solutions is that you have to invest massive amounts of time and energy into creating brand new clinical trial metrics. This, of course, is untrue.
In fact, digital solutions like patient recruitment dashboards are custom-designed to fit your patient engagement and retention goals. The future of clinical recruitment isn’t about completely abandoning what we already know - but rather it’s about enhancing existing protocol. Today, we take a look at the benefits of technological solutions in clinical studies; and how Citrus can improve your clinical trial metrics.
Improve efficiency
For research sites on a strict budget, the last thing you’ll want to do is waste time and money trying out various modes of patient engagement and retention that just don’t stick. It’s a safe enough bet, for phase 1 clinical trials, to rely on traditional methods of recruitment (such as local clinic databases); but the fact is that these methods just don’t stand up in later stages of research. Today, clinical research recruiters should be looking to build relationships with a variety of patients from a wide-scale of geographical locations to ensure compliance in later trials; and the best way to do this is via established patient recruitment portals like Citrus.
Systematically engage with patients and be assured that each potential study participant is lined up for the next stage of engagement. Our software does all the hard work for you. With an efficient task management system, your work is organised to create a means of easily following up and interacting directly with your patients.
Produce clearer communication
Clear and concise communication is actually less common in the clinical research industry than you think - unfortunately, the issue doesn’t begin and end with doctors’ handwriting. According to a recent report published on the US National Library of Medicine website, 75% of the orthopedic surgeons surveyed believed that they communicated satisfactorily with their patients, yet only 21% of the patients reported satisfactory communication with their doctors. While brushing up on your social skills won’t hurt in improving these statistics, research sites should now be looking to more effective modes of communication as well as reevaluating the information they supply to candidates.
Outperforming traditional excel/paper systems, Citrus reduces the staff burden of clinical research by bringing patient interaction directly to the researcher - without the need for awkward telephone introductory interviews. Through our familiar messaging interface, research sites and patients alike can talk 24/7 with communication as easy as sending a text! Never miss a patient interaction again.
Track of all recruitment channels
The beauty of Citrus is that it functions as not only the central method of recruitment for clinical trials, but also acts as an efficient mode of accessing and keeping track of multiple, exterior sources of recruitment. Citrus allows sites to recruit from multiple sites and sources, ensuring that patients are educated on clinical trials and fit the criteria of the study at hand. With the accessibility of our desktop and mobile applications, all run on easy-to-use interfaces, Citrus maximizes your enrollment goals to their fullest potential.
Create patient-centricity
It’s the hot topic of clinical research and recruitment for a reason. Patient-centricity is a proven mode of operating that produces results; however, an IPSOS MORI survey, only a month ago, confirmed that patient-centric protocols are sorely needed in today’s industry.
As part of the study, biopharma associates and patients were asked the degree to which the industry is patient-centered, using 10 key principles as a guide for their judgement. The results: patients consistently ranked biopharma companies lower than biopharma associates ranked themselves. On average, 57.5% biopharma associates ranked their own companies at 4 or above on a 5-point scale where 5 was ‘Strongly agree that they achieved each of the 10 standards’. Yet, 42% of patients ranked biopharma companies at 4 or above on a 5-point scale where 5 was ‘Strongly agree that they achieved each of the 10 standards’.
It’s clear a disconnect between the opinions of patients and researchers is hindering the growth of clinical trials everywhere; and this is something that Citrus is tackling head on. To put it simply, what we’ve produced is a fully integrated platform that puts your patients’ wants, needs and opinions at the center of your clinical studies. So, when large-scale studies like that of IPSOS MORI are performed again in the future, the gap in confidence between the researcher and their patients should be narrowed significantly.
Partner with accredited companies
Since 2015, our team has been hard at work raising awareness of clinical trials across the globe. A Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ company and a graduate of the renowned Techstar program in New York, Citruslabs is at the forefront of patient recruitment and retention technologies. With over 3 million patients now recorded on our databases, our patient recruitment dashboard is fast becoming the most efficient method of trial recruitment.
Now a #1 health app in 17 countries, our Mindmate app is helping to revolutionise the way we think about healthcare. Mindmate “[takes] senior care into the digital age” (Forbes, 2018) by providing people with cognitive decline the essential tools to help them rebuild and maintain strong mental health. Trusted by millions of users, our health community continues to grow as the content available expands to the needs of individuals today.
With more than 200 research sites now using the Citrus platform to screen thousands of patients every month, researchers are now well on their way to finding new treatments for hundreds of different health conditions - something that just would not be possible without a technological solution. Make sure that your clinical trial is in the lucky 12% and turn that luck into guaranteed results with Citrus.
Still a little unsure? Check out what our customers have to say about us here.