What drives investigators and patients to participate in clinical trials?

Understanding what motivates both doctors and patients can help clinical trial organizers adequately address their needs as they design and promote trials.

By Editor on Jun 22, 2004

Understanding what motivates both doctors and patients can help clinical trial organizers adequately address their needs as they design and promote trials. New data from Harris Interactive sheds light on what drives and detracts from participation by investigators and patients.

According to a recent Harris survey, about 13% of practicing physicians currently serve as clinical investigators, but 53% have never conducted a trial. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of those surveyed cited a lack of opportunity as the main reason for not acting as a clinical investigator. The other reasons given all related to logistical issues: the time commitment (32%), lack of personal support (30%), lack of resources to run a successful trial (26%) and the paperwork burden (24%).

Eleven percent (11%) said they were interested, but were uncertain where and how to become involved.

If the opportunity is not there (or known), clinical investigators will not be there, the Harris report advises. Sponsors need to inform the general population about clinical research opportunities in order to attract potential subjects, as well as inform the medical profession.

Doctors are driven to participate by a variety of factors. Many are influenced by an opportunity to advance science and to benefit their patients.

Harris recommends sponsors should learn from altruistic drivers and build campaigns around this desire, utilizing physicians's preferred contact methods email (50%) and postal mail (26%).

With logistical concerns at the forefront of doctors minds, making participation less burdensome would help gain and retain more clinical investigators the study concludes.

The majority of clinical investigators surveyed (74%) said protocol requirements were the most common hurdle to their ability to enroll subjects in trials. Thirty-eight percent (38%) reported an inadequate level of subject recruitment support is provided by sponsors.

When it comes to patients themselves, awareness of clinical trials has grown over the last three years Harris reports. Nineteen percent (19%) of patients surveyed said they have had the opportunity to participate in a trial, up from 13% in 2001.

The public's main sources of information on clinical trials are the media and the Internet.
Eleven percent (11%) report having actually participated in a trial (up from 8% in 2001). Reasons cited among patients for participation include: to advance medicine/science (56%), to earn extra money (50%), to help others with the condition (45%), to obtain better treatment for their condition (44%) and because of information encountered about the study (41% - up from 28% in 2001).

The latter reason, Harris says, indicates the people conducting clinical trials are effectively informing people of the potential opportunity to participate in clinical research.

When it comes to getting the word out about clinical trials, it seems the industry is meeting with greater success among patient populations than with physicians themselves. Perhaps so much emphasis has been put on patient recruitment of late that the pendulum has swung too much away from recruiting investigators.

Connecting with physicians via the methods they prefer and highlighting the altruistic drivers that bring them to the table appear key to improving their participation in the growing numbers of required trials. With patients, it seems the industry is striking a chord it should continue to balance against stronger physician recruitment.

As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on investigator and patient recruitment for trials, so drop us a line at lisaroner@eyeforpharma.com.