Revolutionizing Patient Recruitment Key Issues and Trends Diana L. Anderson, Ph.D., President and CEO Revolutionizing patient recruitment requires a commitment by all stakeholders to challenge the status quo and search for new and innovative ways to find and recruit patients. Revolutionizing patient recruitment requires a commitment by all stakeholders to challenge the status quo and search for new and innovative ways to find and recruit patients. Thought leaders need to demonstrate their commitment to becoming more efficient, to work smarter, and to produce the solutions and results to improve the patient experience. To achieve the lofty goal of revolutionizing a very complex part of the clinical-trial process, there are several key areas that need to be addressed, now and in the future: improving global patient-recruitment solutions; addressing the public’s perceptions of clinical trials; creating value around the education and training of clinical-research staff related to patient recruitment and retention strategies; and developing effective, fully integrated marketing and creative services to support patient-recruitment and retention strategies. Global Patient-Recruitment Solutions As the trend toward conducting more and more clinical-trial research outside the United States continues to gain momentum, there is corresponding interest and enthusiasm for learning more about patient recruitment and retention in countries such as China, India, and other emerging markets. But while there are great opportunities and benefits to be reaped, there are also challenges. For those who are just venturing beyond the U.S. borders, there will be many eye-opening experiences in terms of serving the needs of these emerging markets for clinical-trials research. It’s imperative that clinical-trial professionals and patient-recruitment providers become more adept at knowing and understanding the rules, guidelines, and customs related to patient recruitment and retention in each country. Unfortunately, to date, there is no central repository where a company or an individual can easily access this vital information for a specific country. The Public’s Perceptions of Clinical Trials As clinical trials and thus patient recruitment continue to expand around the world, it will be extremely important to have a good grasp of what potential subjects are thinking, how their attitudes and perceptions will change and evolve, and what will be the issues of importance to them. Another factor to consider is the prevalence of negative media coverage regarding clinical trials. In light of that, we need to stay keenly aware of any changing trends in terms of how potential subjects are influenced to participate. Some trending factors that sponsors and patient-recruitment providers should be aware of include: the patient’s ability to discover and learn about clinical trials via the Internet and how this communication vehicle can be maximized; the important role their physician plays in recommending their participation; and the significant influence that a care giver can have over the decision-making process. The Value of Education and Training As with most revolutionary concepts, change involves education. By creating value around the education and training of clinical-research staff related to patient-recruitment and retention strategies, individuals will become empowered to make patients’ needs, concerns, and safety top priorities. A solid demand for training, covering many topics — from clarifying study goals and sponsor expectations, to assessing site resources, to understanding diverse ethnic and cultural needs, and how all of these relate to recruitment and retention strategies — will continue well into the future. Another training area worthy of examination is the hand-in-hand relationship between patient recruitment and retention. There are many valuable insights and practices that can be put into play that have been proven to work and help to ensure a successful clinical-trial outcome. Marketing and Creative Services Marketing and creative service offerings will, of course, always be in demand when it comes to patient recruitment for clinical trials. These initiatives must be executed correctly and across all marketing platforms to maximize the opportunity of reaching the trial’s target audience with a message that is compelling to potential participants. As media options continue to evolve, it will be important to develop fully integrated marketing campaigns that reach potential subjects through various channels, including print, broadcast, the Internet, and grass-roots efforts. Continuing the Revolution Organized patient-recruitment and retention efforts have become commonplace, and sponsors expect and require excellence and in-depth knowledge from providers of these services. Sponsors and providers that embrace new ideas and techniques will be heralded for continuing to revolutionize the industry. D. Anderson & Company, Dallas, is a provider of patient-recruitment and retention services for the clinical-trials industry and has more than 14 years of experience in more than 25 countries. For more information, visit dandersoncompany.com. Patient Recruitment June 2006 VIEW on Clinical Services

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