The success of a clinical trial hinges on the active involvement and retention of its participants. Yet the challenge of engagement remains a pressing concern in clinical trials of any scale, budget or field of study. This article explores how digital technologies can transform participant engagement and retention strategies, improving trial quality, efficiency, and outcomes.
Obstacles to Participant Engagement
Several factors contribute to low trial involvement, including:
- Participant burden: Frequent clinic visits, complex protocols, and lengthy study durations can place significant demand on participants, leading to frustration and attrition.
- Communication gaps: Inadequate communication between participants and study staff can result in missed appointments, unanswered questions, and disengagement.
- Lack of motivation: Participants may lose interest over time, particularly in long-term studies with few tangible benefits.
- Adverse reactions: Unfavorable side effects can lead to participant withdrawal.
- Inconvenience: The hassle of scheduling conflicts or traveling to clinical sites can discourage participants from engaging in a trial.
Optimize Engagement with Digital Tools
Digital technologies play a pivotal role in transforming participant engagement and retention in clinical trials in many ways.
- Reduce burden: Minimizing the need for in-person visits and offering televisit options eases the strain on participants to ensure continued engagement.
- Customized Interfaces: Tailored design, messaging, font, and color maximizes comprehension and usability by the selected demographic of participants.
- Literacy and numeracy: Drawing from the FDA’s inclusion guidance, eClinical trial platforms, notifications, user guides, and support should prioritize simple language, visual aids, or verbal and video explanations.
- Targeted communication: All correspondence with participants is clear, concise, and delivered at the opportune time.
- Provide real-time feedback: Providing participants with positive responses on their progress and data submissions in real time can motivate participants to stay engaged and committed to the trial.
- Personalized reminders: Timely and actionable reminders designed to avoid overwhelming participants are essential to maintaining compliance with study requirements.
- Accessible information: Study participants can easily access educational materials and support resources anytime with the push of a button.
- Reward compliance: Incentivizing engagement and promptly addressing non-compliance are vital to upholding data quality and averting participant withdrawal.
Partner with a Dedicated Digital Platform
For an efficient trial that provides an engaging participant experience, sponsors require a dedicated digital platform. The range of digital tools available—from web portals and automated alerts to telemedicine solutions—facilitates convenience, smooth communication, and effortless data sharing between participants, investigators and technical support staff.
In line with this commitment to enhancing the trial experience, the Alethium eClinical Platform is purpose-built to prioritize accessibility, literacy, and usability. With advanced digital features, robust compliance systems, and ready-to-scale technology in place, Alethium not only maximizes participant retention but ensures high compliance rates with ease.
