Communication with your patient referrals throughout the clinical research process can either make or break your relationship with potential participants. We’ve already explored what language tends to discourage new recruits, but what can be done to improve your content and communication? In general, there are three ideas you’ll want to focus on when crafting content: clarity, value, and accessibility.
Clarity
The realm of clinical research can feel intimidating to new recruits and most non-medical professionals. As a research site or patient recruitment service, it is your job to provide information that is clear, consistent, and reliable. You should avoid using excessive medical jargon when describing the process of the trial itself as well as any broader context that justifies your research.
Remember that you’re writing to someone who is likely already interested in clinical research -- there is no need to over explain basic concepts, but do be sure to provide adequate detail where appropriate.
Value
In addition to providing basic information, you should always aim to create value for your participants in your content. An email worth sending is one that reminds your participants of something important (deadlines, tasks to be completed, etc..) or gives them helpful information or context that could answer future questions.
Before sending out anything new, make sure to trim down unnecessary “fluff” in your content. Most people aren’t willing or able to pay careful attention to lots of very long texts. Part of creating value for your participants is carving out the extraneous information that isn’t valuable to your readers. Keeping content concise makes it more likely to get read all the way through.
Accessibility
When outlining your clinical research procedures, make sure you pitch them to participants in a way that feels accessible. More people are likely to want to participate if you’re asking for lower commitments.
Frame your content in a way that highlights the importance of your research as well as the ease with which people can get involved.
Want to Learn More?
In addition to keeping you up to date on all things clinical trials, we also act as a digital CRO with a specific focus on patient recruitment and retention. We believe that patient recruitment and study startup (especially study design and study material) are heavily intertwined. After all, study design can make or break clinical trials, and the patient-perspective should be considered when designing studies to ensure that patient targets are met not only on time, but also on budget.
For Citruslabs, patient recruitment starts with study design and ends with trial completion. We recruit patients through our network of health apps, which enables you to connect with thousands of patients in real time. The best part: these patients are already educated and prepared for the clinical trial process.
Comments