Patient Centric Recruitment
Being specialized in patient recruitment services, Link2Trials is always challenged to find the best way to the hearts and minds of patients. This is why from the first day we started offering our services and long before anyone talked about patient centricity, we were already focused on how to continuously improve the patient’s experience with recruitment for clinical trials.
This focus is essential to the effectiveness and quality of our services. Therefore it is incorporated in anything we do and in the software solutions we have developed to support our activities.
Download and read our white paper to learn more about how we see patient centricity and recruitment.
Patient Centric Recruitment; a CRO’s perspective
Tailored recruitment campaigns
Link2Trials understand the importance of having a proactive patient recruitment campaign at the onset of a study. We will develop a targeted recruitment strategy based on the specific study requirements.The in- and exclusion criteria will be considered, as well as the visit frequency, any seasonal impact and other factors which may contribute to the recruitment of your subjects. Our recruitment strategies include:
- (social) media/digital advertisement
- study specific url and website
- Access to our database of patients worldwide.
- traditional recruitment tools (posters in waiting room, advertisements, folders)
- study branding
Advanced pre-selection system
Our pre-selection module allows you to define preliminary selection criteria with which Link2Trials can pre-screen potential patients. These would include patients from our database as well as newly recruited patients. Patients pre-screened through this module are then referred to a participating site for further screening and ultimate inclusion in the study. The pre-screening tool reduces the workload and time required to identify potential patients and enhances the overall recruitment process.
Targeted geographical selection
Our advanced mapping technology allows you to visualize and define regions with available subjects. In addition to regular pre-screening criteria (such as age, gender, BMI, medical conditions or medication use), you can select specific investigational site locations and specify a radius in which you would like to find patients. This allows for a targeted approach of potential study participants and will save you a lot of time approaching volunteers who do not fit the criteria of your study.
You receive only the pre-selected patients
After we pre-select subjects for your study, we will present them to you in a clear overview through a safe login page. You will see all pertinent subject information and with a simple click be able to send follow-up communications.
Our planning tool is fully integrated within our database and allows you to plan potential subjects, which have successfully gone through the pre-selection module, for a screening visit.
ICF / Info Video's
Images say more than words. Enhance your written (patient) information with a study specific information video. You will increase subject understanding of the study and their willingness to participate.
Interactive informed consent
It is essential that patient understand the requirements, risks and benefits of a clinical study prior to agreeing to participate in a study. At Link2Trials we believe that the traditional lengthy paper informed consent does not convey study information in a patient friendly manner and that web based and video informed consents significantly enhance the patients understanding of a study.
The consent forms are translated in a script which is accompanied by appropriate imagery. The consent video will cover the essential aspects of the consent form and ensure the patient is well informed prior to a final discussion with the study staff. The treating investigator will confirm the patient’s understanding of the study, answer any questions and obtain written consent.
Study Specific Instructions
Study specific procedures (for instance the use of an insulin injector) can be easily explained with an instruction video, which can be accessed any time during the study.
The study information videos are accessed through a study specific website at any time, and will include other relevant study specific information, including information on the site and sponsor, full consent form, test questions or other required information.
Planning & Retention
Do you want to focus on the care of your patient and avoid updating different spreadsheets and calendars? Save time and increase efficiency by using our subject planning tool for screening and study visits.
Easy patient visit planning
Our planning tool is accessible through our safe login and allows you to easily schedule your study subjects for the screening and other study visits. It is in an intuitive calendar format (drag & drop), and includes all pertinent subject and study information.
Subsequent study visits are auto-generated according to the protocol schedule, thereby supporting protocol compliance. Upon finalization of an appointment, the system generates an automatic confirmation email to send to the subject.
Patient groups can be created, allowing to send group emails or text messages. Groups can easily be dragged in the agenda and data exported.
If you need subjects in a specific region or along a specific route, this can easily be achieved through our mapping technology. This is useful for regional studies, as you can easily see the availability of patients in your area. This will save you a lot of time.
Retention
Once a visit has been scheduled, subjects will receive an automatic email or text message reminder a day before the visit. Additional options include providing additional information such as directions to the site or important study instructions (e.g. fasting prior to visit). 12 hours before the visit, an additional text message will be sent out. This significantly improves subject visit attendance and study retention.
Additional services
Feel free to inquire about any other services you may require. Link2Trials has a broad network in the pharmaceutical field and can help you resolve other needs in your clinical development.
Easy subject management
To prevent sending any personal data by email, we offer a study specific portal.
You will have access to the registered subjects through a safe login page. These patients will already have been pre-screened for the primary study criteria. You can then contact the subjects at the times and the manner they have indicated.
Our experience has shown that this saves a lot of time and facilitates recruitment, as it reduces the processing time of potential subjects. For more information, please contact us.
Protocol review
Recruitment is dependent on the feasibility of the protocol, including the number of procedures required, the number of hospital visits required and the length of study. The success of the protocol is dependent on the willingness of the patient to undergo all of the required procedures. We are able to conduct targeted protocol feasibility by addressing specific questions to the patients in our database.
Data
Our patient database offers insight in relevant information on potential subjects which could be useful in developing a study protocol. These would include general lifestyles information, concomitant medications and medical histories.
Knowledge and experience
Based on our extensive experience in recruiting and working with investigators, research sites and pharmaceutical professionals, we can provide advice about setting up protocols, with a focus on the design of the study and it's relation to patient recruitment and retention.
Surveys
Our database and other portals give us a unique opportunity to reach out to patients and assess a potential protocol against a targeted patient group concerned. This allows us to provide feedback on the feasibility of the protocol, as it relates to patient recruitment and retention.
Home nursing
Participation in a clinical trial requires extra efforts from both the investigational site and the subjects. It is essential that the site staff have adequate time to devote to your study, to maximize recruitment and ensure the study is carried out correctly.
Link2Trials can help reduce the workload at the site by offering home nursing: in this way study visits can be performed at home rather than at the site. This reduces the study burden and benefits the study recruitment potential and patient retention. Link2Trials has a network of experienced and trained research nurses that can perform home visits.
On-site staff support
Link2Trials can place experienced research nurses on site to support the site in carrying out a study. This can be both for administratve support or to perform para-medical procedures. This support will ease the conduct of the study and allow the site staff to focus on patient recruitment and other important aspects of your study.