There are a number of ways that clinical research professionals can recruit and retain volunteers for clinical trials. Some of the steps are discussed below.
In order to get patients for clinical trials, clinical research professional should be familiar with the population that is being studied. The patients can be found in schools, community organizations, churches, professional organizations, long-term care facilities, civic organizations, or worksites. Patients can also be found over the internet through specialized networks or special interest group sites.
During evaluation of potential clinical trial patients, it is important to be in contact with people capable of providing information about the potential patients. Proper inclusion should be carried out and feasible sample sizes should be used during selection to validate the findings of the clinical trial.
Clinical research professionals may come across procedural and political obstacles while trying to access research patients in health care agencies. Therefore it is prudent to establish connections with the administration in these firms, as these individuals are crucial in getting approval to conduct clinical trials. Individuals in top management who are well versed with the type of study the clinical research professional is undertaking are also crucial, as they may help in identifying other important personnel that is in charge of approving trials to be carried out.
Retaining Clinic Trial Patients
There are different reasons why individuals participate in clinical trials and this prompts the clinical research professional to use various ways to attract and retain volunteers. Some of the recruitment strategies that are commonly used include telephone, media, personal contact, and written recruitment. The strategies are used to inform the potential volunteers about the purpose of the clinical trial. The way that the study is delivered to the potential participant will determine whether the individual will be willing to participate in the study. Some clinical research professionals prefer to use the word ''project'' or ''study'' instead of ''research'' when in contact with the potential volunteers, due to the negativity that is associated with human studies.
Clinical research professionals who use telephone calls for recruitment should portray caring attitudes when enrolling or recruiting participants. Apart from telephones, the clinical research professionals have the option of using web technologies to reduce clinical trial delays, as well as to maintain patient relationships.
Benefits of the Internet
The internet provides cheaper way to recruit patients than other traditional media, like radio, television, and print. The internet has the potential to reach a large population, as opposed to other traditional media. It is also helpful in educating the patients about the process of the clinical trial and helps them make informed decisions on whether they want to be involved in the research or not.
To increase the number of volunteers for clinical trials, clinical research professionals should consider launching rebranding campaigns. Educational campaigns should also be considered to inform the public of the benefits of clinical trails. The internet is an effective medium for advertisement, and commercial advertising solutions can help clinical research managers launch advertisements with minimal costs. Clinical research professionals should ensure that patients adhere to the study requirements until its completion through regular motivation and pushing for education awareness even after the study is completed. In case the research volunteers would like to be informed of the outcome of the research, this may be delivered through a single page letter to them expressing appreciation for the valuable contributions they made to the study.
Since individuals participate in clinical trials for different reasons, it is important for the clinical research professional to outline the reasons and importance of carrying out the study. He or she should also describe how the project data will be put to use in designing future studies, developing programs, or providing valuable information to other researchers.