Clinical trials patient recruitment and retention presentation given by Dale at MAGI West. Dale Korth Manager, Marketing and Recruitment Clinical Trials of Texas http://www.saresearch.com

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MAGI

2. Case Study 1
XYZ Research Site is awarded an Ulcerative
Colitis study, the first of which their site has
conducted.
They are a standalone research site who, from a
GI standpont, has only conducted a few IBS-D/
IBS-C studies, a diverticulitis study, a few GERD
studies, and 1 Crohn's study in the past and are
only working with a $2000 ad budget. They
luckily contract with a local GI clinic, who will
be performing procedures and are listed as SubI's on the study.
Although the protocol is very specific, the GI
clinic indicates they have 4 patients in their system, who seem to meet criteria (whew!...right?).
Wrong. Patient #1 is well controlled, patient #2 is
also well controlled, patient #3 had moved out of
the state recently, and patient #4 is not remotely
interested in research and is also well-controlled.
(Why are our doctors SO good at their jobs?!)
Great, now what?
Prepare.
Site XYZ has already started their standard
recruitment process prior to even making these 4
phone calls. This process starts with the following:
1) Creating recruitment materials -- Flyer, Site-toPatient Email, Dr. to Pt. Letter, Online Classifieds
ad, Google Adwords and Facebook ads, and a
Press Release. This was all done once the
Recruitment Manager, who didn't have much of
an idea what UC was prior to the study, knew they
would be conducting it. TIP 1 - Prepare for the
WORST.
2) Database mining -- An obvious step. XYZ
research ran a database search within their CTMS
system to actively identify all subjects coded with
UC, in the age and BMI range, and dropped them
into the study roster. The site-to-patient email is
sent out as an initial introduction about the study.
Hopefully your CTMS or EMR system is capable
of something similar to this.

3. free marketing options
Budgetary limitations on recruitment funds is an issue
we all run into. Whether you have ad money or not, you
could probably always use more!
There are a lot of free options though, such as:
: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Pinterest, LinkedIn (better for bus. dev.), and the list
could go on forever.
: Craigslist, Backpage, Ebay
Classifieds, or whatever may be available in your area.
They all (likely) have free sections and any chance you
have to get your study in front of a subject for free
should be taken.
free marketing options
: There's no reason you should ever not
have a study posted to your website as soon as you have IRB
approval for your ads. Even if most applicants may not qualify, it never hurts to keep "filling that cup".
: Goes without saying,
keeping your PI/Sub-I's informed and updated about enrolling studies is a must. They're your absolute best marketing
options.
Paid Ad Option$
When developing a paid ad, make sure you have first clearly
defined your "perfect" patient.
Every advertising medium has their positives and their negatives, so consider wisely if you want to utilize that entire budget
on a TV ad or if you want to spread it out among other sources.
Some of the mediums we've utilized in the past:
Other ideas?

4. Be Creative...especially w/ Limited Budget
An Adwords
campaign can go
pretty far on a thin
budget. Use their
paid ad campaign
to direct people to
your site for free!

5. Email Marketing
An email marketing campaign can be one of the most effective ways to
reach your database on a consistent basis. Perhaps a monthly email
featuring your newly enrolling studies? Or one that speaks to the benefits
of research and links to your current study page?
Whatever it is, make it engaging. And keep "filling that cup" of
subscribers.
Opting In: How To Keep the Cup Full
Every opportunity which arises to collect someone's contact information (especially an email) should be taken. If
you have the capacity to contact subjects and take a brief medical history to code for future studies, great, and if
not they are on your email list for all your future email blasts.

6. Is my website working
in conjunction with my
CTMS system?
The importance of a user-friendly website that works in conjunction
with your CTMS system should not be underestimated. Not only does
this help you accurately track referrals, but it can significantly increase
efficiencies as well as total amount of study applications.
Your website/CTMS should be recruiting even when you aren't.
Individuals are directed
to the study flyer/application page or whichever
page you decide you
would like them to land
on. Landing pages with
higher quality scores help
move your search above
others, even if you pay
less per click.
IRB approved flyer
→
IRB approved press
release (informative
article - rich in keywords)
→

7. →
Track referral sources. Sponsors want to
know what works and so should you!
Comment section to list other
med conditions can be a
huge time saver when phone
screening.
→
Dropped directly into CTMS system

8. Is my website mobile
friendly?
Which one do
you prefer
?
it should be.
By 2016, 88% of all local ads will be mobile.