This week, Applied Clinical Trials published Barriers to Clinical Trial Recruitment and Possible Solutions: A Stakeholder Survey. This publication is the result of the CTTI Recruitment Project Team’s efforts to gain a deeper understanding of stakeholders’ perceived barriers to recruitment across the clinical research enterprise. Several stakeholder groups, including clinical trial sponsors (industry, federal, and academic), research sites (investigators, coordinators, and executive-level staff), and patient advocacy organizations, were polled to gather information on approaches that will improve patient recruitment and enable trials to meet recruitment goals. The significant barrier most often cited by respondents was that of finding or identifying patients who meet eligibility criteria. A solution to this barrier that was proposed by a respondent was to broaden the eligibility requirements to enroll individuals more representative of the actual population. To improve recruitment efforts, respondents felt that medical record and hospital-based registry or database review were effective and often successfully employed. Additionally, building relationships and establishing referral programs with trusted clinicians were considered crucial to enhance recruitment. Overall, the majority of respondents had a positive outlook on the potential to increase recruitment rates over the next decade.

“The positive outlook on increasing clinical trial recruitment over the next 5 to 10 years among respondents is encouraging of the potential for progress to be made. It is apparent that a comprehensive recruitment strategy, rather than a single tool or solution, will be required to address the range of significant recruitment barriers identified.” – E. Mahon, et al.

To read the publication, click here.