How to introduce a clinical trial to newly diagnosed patients.

Upon first learning about a diagnosis, patients often face difficult emotions and have many questions about what can be done. While a clinical trial may be an option, it’s important to take the right steps to connect with these patients about their new diagnosis, the study, and what to expect.

Understand the patient.

We cannot effectively communicate with patients if we cannot fully comprehend what they may be going through, especially if a patient has just learned of his or her condition. These patients may be experiencing many different feelings about their diagnosis, their symptoms, and available treatment opportunities.

This is why we conduct comprehensive social listening as part of the campaign development process. Using popular platforms, we listen in on digital conversations about conditions, medications, symptoms, and even clinical trials. The information that emerges from this process helps our team understand the patient journey and informs our strategy for how best to reach potential participants.

Make it easy.

Patients with a new diagnosis are already dealing with so many life changes – some of which may be very challenging. As a patient recruitment organization, we want to remove any potential burden when it comes to determining if a clinical trial would be a good fit.

Whether we’re running a full, centralized campaign, complete with a prescreening website, or simply developing a few print materials, we always make sure it’s easy for patients to understand the who, what, where, why, and how of a trial. Am I eligible to participate? What’s available for me? Where would I be going for appointments? Why should I participate? How do I get started? Our writers keep these questions top of mind and ensure every patient-facing piece we develop answers them.

Start with the basics.

When first introducing a clinical trial to newly diagnosed patients, we want to be sure we aren’t overwhelming them with too many details about the study or too much medical jargon related to their condition. For introductory recruitment materials, like a brochure, print ad, or website, we provide only the basics of what patients would need to know before considering participating in a clinical trial. And we’re sure to explain any frequently used medical terms that might necessitate a learning curve (e.g., “BP” for blood pressure and “ECG” for echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart). Doctors use shorthand terms and abbreviations all the time, but they’re most likely new to someone with a recent diagnosis.

We want to ensure our clinical research study teams can have in-depth conversations about the study with potential participants. So when it comes delving deep, we equip the study team members with easy-to-understand, detailed tools for patients to use. Pieces like our informed consent flip chart explain everything that will happen during the study, break down any complicated jargon into patient-friendly language, and help facilitate informative discussions with potential participants.

Learn more about how Praxis can help with your clinical trial. Contact us.