Digital tools, flexible participation and empathy as the most important drivers for patient loyalty in clinical trials
The patient perspective in clinical trials – what is going well, what needs to change?
Munich, Monday, March 27, 2023 – Climedo has released the results of its global patient survey, in which more than 120 people took part. The aim was to better understand clinical trials from the patient’s perspective, including barriers to participation, expectations and how trials can be improved.
Of the 124 respondents, approximately 30% had prior study experience and 70% had not but would consider participating in the future. Most of the participants came from Europe and North America. Almost all age groups (19 to 60+ years) were represented and the majority of respondents (68%) were female. The most commonly represented therapeutic areas were oncology, immunology, cardiology, dermatology, pain and several rare diseases. The majority of patients had participated in a phase I (>20%), II (14%) or III (17%) study, while phase IV was somewhat less common (8%).
The most important results at a glance:
Patient access to clinical trials
Obstacles: The biggest hurdles to study participation included “Unclear or missing information about the course of the study”, “Long journey or too much time expenditure” and “Finding a suitable study at all”.
Patient recruitment: More than half believed they would learn about a study in the doctor’s office or through a patient group, while digital channels were less common or well known.
Facilitating study access: Almost two-thirds (64%) believed that we should use “more digital technologies such as medical wearables or telemedicine”, while half of those surveyed wanted both “shorter travel distances” and “more sensitivity or empathy from study staff” deemed necessary.
Visits, communication and arrival
Distance and frequency of trips: The less frequent the on-site visits (e.g. every two months), the higher the patient’s tolerance for longer trips (one to two hours or more). Conversely, more frequent on-site visits (roughly every two weeks) mean lower tolerance; most patients only want to drive 30 minutes or an hour in this case.
Frequency of personal feedback: Over 70% of patients with study experience would prefer to receive feedback on their health status from a local doctor at most once a month.
Specific elements in a study: Almost half (44%) think they could report more information about their health status to study staff, 28% think “travel time and costs” need to be reduced, and half would like to more “attention from study staff”.
What patients value most: Patients with study experience most frequently named “fixed contact persons” (31%), “participation from home or on the go” (28%) and “empathy of the study staff” (19%). as the most important factors in a study for them. In the case of patients without study experience, “participation from home or on the go” was mentioned first by almost 50%.
Openness to digital technologies
Technologies that patients have already used: Almost half of the patients with study experience stated that they had never used digital technologies in a study. Electronic patient records (ePRO), the electronic medical record (eMR), eConsent and wearables were cited as having used digital tools.
Technologies that patients would like to use: Most patients (over 50%) would like to use ePRO, a patient cockpit and the eMR.
Digital versus non-digital channels: On average, 75% of patients prefer digital channels for sending or receiving important medical information and are willing to receive such information more often through digital channels than in person.
view in the future
Willingness to participate again: Over 80% of patients with study experience would be willing to participate in another study in the future. They cited the valuable contribution to research, the opportunity to help others with their condition, and the fact that studies are currently their only relief or hope.
Concluding remarks: In the last section, patients emphasized, among other things, that we need to pay more attention to rare diseases, mental health in studies, as well as vulnerable populations.
“In this patient survey, three key themes emerged again and again: a positive attitude on the part of patients towards digital technologies, the desire for flexible participation from home or on the go, and a strong need for empathy and sensitivity,” says Veronika Schweighart, co-founder and member of the management at Climedo. “For us, this is a clear indication that healthcare companies need to move more towards hybrid study designs. Digital technologies are used to reduce the burden on patients. At the same time, the human component is retained in order to respond to personal questions and needs of the patients, for example in televisits. We are surprised that almost half of the respondents have never been able to use digital technologies in trials and indicates that trial sponsors and centers need to be more responsive to patient needs. Climedo supports sponsors, CROs and centers as a strong digital partner and supports the introduction of hybrid clinical study designs. This generates higher quality data while saving valuable resources for everyone involved. We look forward to discussing the results with our network.”
The complete survey results can be downloaded from the Climedo homepage.
Climedo offers a digital platform for hybrid clinical studies and observational studies. The easy-to-use, modular and secure software solution for data management includes electronic data collection (EDC), ePRO, eCOA and telemedicine. This enables pharmaceutical and medical technology companies to validate their medical innovations more efficiently after they have been launched and to collect real-world data in decentralized environments. This accelerates studies, saves costs, improves data flow and quality, and at the same time promotes innovative study designs. By seamlessly connecting all those involved (industrial partners, study centers, doctors and patients) in a cloud-based system, Climedo is revolutionizing clinical research and making studies more accessible and patient-oriented. Learn more: www.climedo.de
Contact
Climedo Health GmbH
Catherine Higginson
Schellingstr. 109a
80798 München
+49 89 32209394 0