What 200 Americans Told Us About Engaging in Clinical Trials

What 200 Americans Told Us About Enrolling and Engaging in Clinical Trials

Make it easier to participate. That’s the overwhelming response from 200 survey respondents who we asked what would make them more likely to join hybrid or remote clinical trials.

Historically, clinical trials have suffered from a lack of participation due to inconvenient locations, poor communication and personal and financial stressors. More and more, flexible trials that fit into people’s everyday lives attract willing participants, especially first-timers.

Design for Convenience to Boost Enrollment

Now, remote trials are inviting a new era of interest. 

This summer, Vivalink set out to determine what exactly drives participation in clinical studies. Is it pure altruism, or is there a greater force at play? We found that people want flexibility and the ability to participate from wherever they want.

According to the survey, nearly 90% of the survey respondents said they are open to participating in a fully remote trial, but only one-third would join a fully in-person trial. Flexibility ranked alongside compensation as a top motivator.

A study of 1,600 patients enrolled in breast, genitourinary and gastrointestinal cancer clinical trials found that the burden of travel and cost is highest among patients enrolled in a National Institutes of Health clinical trial, phase I studies or living in low-income areas. 

Removing travel and financial barriers with a remote clinical trial option may sway underrepresented populations to participate or stay in the study longer.

Prioritize Usability to Prevent Dropout

Sponsors increasingly turning to remote trials should take notice of the factors that encourage participants to join and remain in a clinical trial.  In addition to being open to fully remote trials, participants want simple gadgets and clear instructions.

Seventy percent said easy-to-use tools are essential for staying enrolled, while 68% cited device discomfort and 51% cited unclear instructions as reasons for leaving. Vivalink’s medical-grade sensors and intuitive software interfaces were designed to address these pain points by combining clinical accuracy with consumer-level ease of use.

Build Trust with Validation and Support

Participants are unlikely to engage with tools they don’t trust or that have complicated instructions. Fifty-seven percent said FDA clearance increases comfort, and the same share said live tech support makes them more willing to use wearables.

Sponsors can address these concerns by ensuring devices are validated, obtaining FDA clearance for trial tools, and having live help desks to troubleshoot issues and help make participants comfortable. With FDA-cleared solutions and built-in connectivity support, Vivalink helps sponsors deliver that level of trust and reliability from day one.

Keep Trials Short and Modern

Gone are the days when participants were willing to take part in a years-long clinical trial that required them to travel outside their home and use complicated technology. 

Today’s participants expect trials to have realistic timelines and for technology to feel like everyday consumer products. Our study found that nearly 60% of those surveyed said they would only commit to three months or less, and only 13% said they would participate for more than a year.

Sponsors aiming to attract thousands of participants, such as those in Phase III trials, need to find ways to condense clinical trial timelines from years to months.

Trial Design for Today’s Participants

For clinical trials to be successful, sponsors must consider recruitment and retention strategies, participant perspectives and patient-centricity before designing a clinical trial, according to a study looking at the recruitment and retention of trial participants with chronic pain.

Designing clinical trials to meet the needs of participants is necessary for enrollment and retention. Learn how Vivalink’s remote devices allow sponsors to capture participant vitals and biometrics from anywhere in the world while simplifying study operations.