3 Tools to Enhance Clinical Trial Enrollment and Enhance Patients’ Online Experience

3 Tools to Enhance Clinical Trial Enrollment and Enhance Patients’ Online Experience

For those of us responsible for patient recruitment, we have seen the digital era transform clinical trial enrollment. It has provided patients with a safe space in the form of social media channels where they can tap into online support groups to discuss healthcare options and medical conditions. In fact, 41 percent of people said that social media affects their decisions on specific hospitals and doctors. This e-community is buzzing with information that can be used to enhance a patient’s online experience. It is then up to us to seize this opportunity to strengthen the patient-centric model by leveraging the following three tools:

1. Social Media & Search Engines:

What does “social listening” mean in regards to clinical trial enrollment? Analytic technologies scour the internet in search any kind of content that matches key terms and phrases. This kind of “listening” allows us to reach our target patient population at their level or location so we can analyze and assess the conversation. From here we can develop messages that resonate and add value to patients and their families.

What about special patient populations and rare conditions? Consider this, 62 percent of people with chronic conditions use the internet in search of help and support. Identifying networks and websites where patients with rare conditions are connecting will allow us insight into the challenges these patients face. Study protocols require specific audience interaction, so why not tap into an online community that will foster the highest number of leads.

 

2. Advertising Platforms:

Advertising platforms can provide businesses with the opportunity to connect with patients on an emotional level. Your audience is looking for the humans behind the brand, and the right platform will allow you to run A/B testing on advertisements in order to gain insight on what resonates with your audience.

The two-sided nature of platforms gives us answers questions like which images are making an emotional impact with our audience? And what colors resonate? Roughly 75 percent of web users become frustrated when content is pushed at them without any regard for their interests, which is why personalization is key for marketing success.

 

3. Study-specific Landing Pages

If you are looking to recruit patients for a study and you don’t require the robust power of a website then you’ll want to consider study-specific landing pages. A landing page works well for those studies with condensed timelines and budgets. Instead of wasting precious time creating a domain from scratch and worrying about security, a landing page can exist on subdomains of your main site.

Many landing pages also have a “drag and drop” build function, which means you can maximize the use of digital marketing materials by dragging flyers onto a page and dropping them in for a ready-to-use recruitment site. Your return on investment (ROI) can easily be measured from here, as you’ll gain insight into which ads are bringing in the most qualified leads for your study.

Each of these tools allow us to streamline our processes and prevent clinical trial timelines from being delayed all while enhancing a patient’s overall experience online; which is really a win-win for clinical trial enrollment experts. What other tools can we use to ensure our patients are top of mind?

If you would like WCCT Global’s help recruiting patients for your research program, send us an RFP here!