Easing the burden on clinical trial sites should be a priority for any Site Engagement team involved in patient recruitment. Developing procedures and establishing services with study sites in mind is an essential component of patient-centricity. The fewer burdens sites experience, the more engaged they will be. That gives them more time to spend caring for patients.
Here are five ways Continuum Clinical makes site-centricity part of a holistic patient recruitment plan.
1. Establish (and Manage) a Physician Referral Network
Some study sites have the time and personnel to establish and manage their own HCP referral network, but most do not. It requires a lot of effort to maintain the level of relationship required to produce quality referrals from other physicians. Managing this network on the site’s behalf allows them to focus on their own pool of patients.
2. Support Patient Transportation
Patient transportation is great for the patients themselves, of course, but many models add to the workload of the site staff. Between scheduling appointments and dealing with paperwork and reimbursements, it can end up being a hassle for sites. Our model puts the power in the hands of the patients – letting them schedule their own rides (via app or call center) and removing the administrative burden at the site level.
3. Provide Templates
Something as simple as preparing and making available “Dear Doctor” letters and “Dear Patient” letters on behalf of the sites can go a long way. We obtain IRB approval upfront for a variety of templates, allowing sites to use what they want, when they need it.
4. Titrate Media Referral Volume
Adjusting campaigns to better reflect what capacity the sites have is a smart recruitment tactic, since an overwhelmed site may not have the necessary bandwidth to address referral pull-through. It’s also respectful of the sites themselves. We keep in regular contact with our sites and understand how their capacity fluctuates over time so we can adjust our media referrals accordingly.
5. Commit to Thoughtful Meeting Schedules
Speaking of being in regular contact with our sites, establishing a cadence for check-in meetings is important. Regularly scheduled meetings can seem counterintuitive when talking about trying to ease the burden that sites experience, but our site calls are focused on letting site staff tell us what they need (rather than gathering information). Since the calls are high-value and not transactional, sites value the time.
Happier sites are more engaged and more focused on patients when they have fewer administrative tasks monopolizing their time. Site-centricity is a critical part of patient-centricity in clinical trial execution.
Want to learn more about Continuum Clinical’s Site Engagement team? Click here.
