It's no secret that delays in recruiting patients for clinical research are one of the primary reasons new drugs are late to market. Each
day a drug is delayed can cost a sponsor as much as
$10 million; hence, the importance of patient recruitment. Identifying patients to volunteer for clinical research is no easy task. Aside from the obvious challenges (clinical trials are
experimental), there are many points at which a potential patient may drop out of the process. Getting all the way through the screening and enrollment process can be very challenging. We call this
"The Path to Participation."
As marketers and patient recruitment specialists, it is our responsibility to:
1. Ensure that we identify each step in the process where a
potential patient may drop out.
2. Proactively develop solutions that mitigate drops and maximize conversion rates.
So how do you assure that you're getting the
maximum conversion rate? From the first point of contact to understanding website traffic, the opt-in process, and ending with randomization into the study, it's all about analytics and tracking!
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To demonstrate the path to participation and how analytics can be used to improve conversion rates, let's take a look at John's path.
John is 53 years old, married with two kids,
lives and works in the suburbs, and has Type II Diabetes. He's tried several treatment options, including diet and exercise, but his diabetes is not in control.
While watching TV one
morning, John saw an ad for a clinical trial that connected with him. A toll-free number and URL were provided as means to learn more. He made a mental note of the URL. By the time he got to work he
forgot the exact URL. He remembered enough to find the website on Google and clicked on the link.
The Top of the Funnel -- Source-Tracking Codes
Understanding inquiries at the top of the funnel is critical. Many recruitment campaigns incorporate multiple outreach tactics to cast both wide and small (but targeted) nets. Tagging each
inquiry with a source allows you to shift dollars around and improve cost per inquiry. It also enables deeper analysis further down the funnel and a means to evaluate a true return on investment.
However, capturing source can be tricky. In John's case, the keyword on Google would be tagged with the source of inquiry; yet, the real source was TV. So consider adding a "how did you hear" question
on the website pre-screener so that leads such as John's can be tagged with a secondary code for TV.
John visited the website for six minutes and ultimately closed the browser. Later that
day he returned to the website and completed the online screener. Unfortunately, the closest participating physician was downtown, a 30-minute commute. Even though he qualified, he was still
deliberating on whether or not this was right for him.
Page Views and Bounce Rates -- The User Web Experience
What made John close his browser
and on what page did he exit? How much time did John spend on each page? Was he engaged? Was the wording in the online pre-screener confusing? Exit rates, bounce rates, page views and time spent on
each page are just a few standard data points that help paint a picture of the user experience. Those insights can be used to make changes to immediately increase the conversion of website visitors to
pre-qualified subjects. For example, let's say we learned that John exited on the page that explains the online qualification process. The copy reads that the online screening will take approximately
12-16 minutes. Is this number accurate? Is the time a deterrent? Or is it effectively managing patient expectations? Subtle changes like removing this mention of time can make a huge impact on the
bottom line. In fact, we've seen as much as 10% improvement in conversions through minor changes like this.
Two days after his pre-qualification, John received a call from Nancy, the
study coordinator at the physician's office. Nancy asked John several detailed questions about his diabetes, medication and health history to further qualify him. John then asked Nancy about the
number of visits required, the clinical trial process, and study procedures. At the end of the conversation John scheduled an appointment. Unfortunately, Nancy didn't have any opening for three weeks
-- a lot of time for John to potentially reconsider his decision. After carefully weighing his options and talking with his endocrinologist and family, John decided to attend his appointment. He met
the physician, qualified for the study and enrolled.
Closing the Deal -- The Study Coordinator
Study coordinators are the front lines of a
research site, and they greatly influence the success or failure of your clinical trial. They are the patient's first point of contact -- a warm, reassuring presence goes a long way in helping the
patient decide to participate. Coordinators are typically not trained in sales or customer service, yet this is a critical role they play in maximizing conversion rates of inquiries. They need to
respond promptly to patient inquiries and effectively address their questions and concerns.
It is important to train study coordinators upfront on your patient recruitment program and ensure
they understand the outreach efforts, the pre-screening process and reporting expectations. Keep in touch with them regularly, support their efforts and solicit their feedback. They can identify
barriers to participation and help brainstorm ways to address these challenges. Make sure that they're following up with inquiries in a timely manner, have open appointments for scheduling, and are
reporting on the status of the inquiries. Supporting a study coordinator in resolving inquiries can significantly increase the number of inquiries that wind up enrolling in the study.
From
the moment that John was exposed to the advertisement to the date of study enrollment, there were many points along the path to participation that could have easily led to his disinterest in the
study. Understanding the path and its potential barriers and obstacles is absolutely imperative to ensuring success. And it's through robust and detailed analytics and tracking that the recruitment of
patients becomes as accurate, scientific, and carefully planned as the clinical trials that they support.