Medical Research Patient Recruitment Techniques
Posted on | September 26, 2011 | No Comments
Over the past several years I have tried various methods of patient recruitment for medical research studies. With the many IRB regulations one has to be creative in how potential new study patients are found and recruited. In this series of postings I want to share methods of recruitment that I have found that have worked with a great deal of success. I will also share some of the methods that failed as well.
Word of Mouth Patient Recruitment
To begin with the best method of patient recruitment for a clinical research study is also the oldest. Word of mouth referrals are worth their weight in gold and the best part is they are free. Each medical research center seems to have a core of study volunteers with which and excellent relationship has been established. These volunteer patients understand the process and how both inpatient and outpatient visits work as well as the guidelines that must be followed to be compliant with the study protocol. They also know how to answer questions from friends and other family members about what all is involved in a research study as they have been through the process.
It is always wise to start recruiting your volunteer patients long before the next research study kicks off. Take a few minutes and talk to those individuals who are currently taking part in your active research studies and ask them for a referral. Explain to them that you have a new research study coming up in a couple months for diabetes for example and see if they have friends or family members that are diabetic.
Explain to your study participants that you promise not harass their referrals and that you only want to find out if they may be interested in participating. If they give you a name ask them to tell their friend that you may be calling to find out their level of interest and to add them to a list to call in the future when your facility gets ready to screen.
This initial call is nothing more than and introduction as to who you are and to tell them a friend referred them and then simply ask if they are interested in possibly participating in a clinical research study. If they say yes say thank you and add them to your screening appointment call list. Make the call short and leave a great impression on the potential new volunteer patient.
What has your experience been with word of mouth medical research patient recruitment?
TWi Biotechnology Successfully Completes Patient Recruitment for Phase IIb Trial of AC-201 for the Treatment of Type II Diabetes
Posted on | September 19, 2011 | No Comments
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — TWi Biotechnology, Inc. announces the successful patient recruitment for the multinational, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging Phase IIb clinical trial of AC-201 for the treatment of Type II Diabetes.
A combined 240 patients from 13 US sites plus 8 Taiwan sites have been enrolled to the trial. With six-month treatment and one-month follow-up, completion of the trial data analysis is expected in the early second quarter of 2012. The trial’s primary endpoint is defined as the change in glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) from baseline compared to placebo after twenty-four weeks of treatment. In addition, the study is powered to demonstrate additional benefits by monitoring various secondary endpoints including change in lipid profile, change in body weight, change in blood pressure and change in beta-cell function. Meanwhile, by measuring various biomarkers such as interleukin-1Beta, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-Alpha, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, transforming growth factor-Beta, and adiponectin, the company is able to stratify different patient groups in terms of clinical response, so as to develop personalized, preventive or therapeutic strategies.
Read entire press release here
Links Between Gulf War Illness And Veteran’s Locations During War Being Investigated
Posted on | September 19, 2011 | No Comments
From: News-Medical.net
Gulf War Illness (GWI) – the chronic health condition that affects about one in four military veterans of the 1991 Gulf War-appears to be the result of several factors, which differed in importance depending upon the locations where veterans served during the war, according to a Baylor University study.
Recent Report Shows Decline In Clinical Trial Recruitment For Autoimmune Disorders
Posted on | September 19, 2011 | No Comments
From: News-Medical.net
The number of patients recruited to clinical trials for autoimmune disorders has waned in the last ten years, according to a new report available on CompaniesAndMarkets.com. One of the reasons contributing to the decline is the stringent requirements associated with patient inclusion, which reduces the population of potential trial participants.
On-Q-ity Strikes Deal With LabCorp To Help Researchers Spot Rare Tumor Cells
Posted on | January 12, 2011 | No Comments
On-Q-ity is betting that it can help improve cancer research and treatment by spotting the rarest of tumor cells circulating in the blood. Now the startup’s technology has found an important new benefactor in Laboratory Corporation of America (NYSE: LH).
Waltham, MA-based On-Q-ity is announcing today it has formed a strategic alliance with LabCorp in which the big research and diagnostics player will use its sales, marketing, and distribution muscle to commercialize On-Q-ity’s technology for detecting circulating tumor cells. LabCorp will pitch the technology to cancer drug R&D operations that want to do a better job recruiting the right patients into clinical trials, seeing quickly whether a new drug is working, and finding out early when patients are relapsing. Financial terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed.
Read entire article at XConomy.com