Top Takeaways from DPHARM 2024: Using Engagement to Tackle Clinical Trial Challenges for Patients and Sites
The annual DPHARM® conference is always a hub of groundbreaking discussions, gathering leaders across the biopharma industry to explore ways to improve the clinical trial process, reduce patient and physician burden, and drive greater inclusivity, access and efficiencies. The Reverba team was out in full force at this year’s conference to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and share innovative solutions.
Evaluating clinical trials through our lens of focus on stakeholder engagement revealed two critical challenges. This blog outlines recommendations for actionable solutions to address them:
Challenge #1: Lack of Awareness of Clinical Trials is a Major Bottleneck in Drug Development
One of the most significant takeaways from this year’s DPHARM conference is that both patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) are largely unaware of most clinical trials, a long-standing issue that continues to hinder recruitment efforts. A staggering 80% of patients remain uninformed about clinical trials as a potential treatment option; and even when they are aware, many are unsure of how to enroll or what to anticipate.
Challenge #2: Exponential Increases in Trial Complexity Make Recruiting More Critical
Clinical trial sponsors reported at DPHARM that it is much harder to recruit patients than it was 10 or even 5 years ago.Many trial sponsors find themselves competing for the same small pool of study candidates.
At the same time, more protocolsand added endpoints meantrials are getting increasingly complicated – there was discussion that on average, the number of endpoints/assessments doubled between 2010 and 2020. Reliance on multiple layers of technology platforms increases complexity, time required and the potential for confusion for both trial sponsors, sites and patients. Anecdotally, HCPs at DPHARM mentioned interaction with an average of three different platforms per trial visit, with up to 27 different log-ins! The result? Trial sites report getting squeezed with concurrent trials. Enrollment is delayed. More trials are starting than ending.
Solution: Rethinking Clinical Trials with Focus on Patients and Sites
The cumulative effect of these challenges is that planning trials intentionally, and then successfully recruiting patients for them rapidly, thoughtfully and effectively are more important goals than ever.
Here are a range of possible ways to incorporate patient and HCP perspectives and improve the trial experience:
- Increase awareness of trials among patients and HCPs
- Facilitate integration of clinical trial participation options into standard care, ensuring that physicians are regularly discussing potential trial opportunities with their patients.
- Conduct effective outreach to ensure physicians are aware of ongoing trials and requirements.
- Increase patient education and incorporate other patients who have participated in trials to share their experiences, because authentic voices can make trials seem less mysterious and daunting.
- Improve communication between HCPs and patients around trials.
- Help fill the knowledge gap, so patients know to ask about clinical trials.
- Provide clear, accurate information for HCPs to share.
- Design trials with patients and site staff in mind
- Use patient journey mapping to learn what the disease experience is like and where the trial fits in for patients.
- Build in patient feedback on their priorities early in the trial design and simplify as many aspects of the trial as possible.
- Example: Flexible scheduling can make it easier for patients to fit the trial into their busy lives.
- Example: Average distance to travel for patients has increased by 40% in 6 years, making it harder for them to participate.
- Experience the trial through the eyes of all key stakeholders, including not only patients but also investigators, study nurses, pharmacy, and lab technicians, and use what is learned to improve the trial before it starts.
- Improve patient retention and trial outcomes by creating more engaging and supportive trial experiences.
- Use technology to help patients navigate and participate in clinical trials more effectively.
- Example: Patient engagement apps that help keep participants informed, answer questions, and provide real-time support throughout the trial process, ensuring they feel connected and supported.
- Measure patient burden and get patient feedback during and immediately post-trial to carry learnings forward.
- Focus on the future patient for ongoing trial innovation
- Prioritize diversity efforts, ensuring that trials are inclusive of underrepresented populations by addressing cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic barriers.
- Consider AI-driven platforms that match patients to clinical trials based on their medical records and personal preferences, which can drastically improve the effectiveness of recruitment.
- Ensure that recruitment efforts are compassionate, customized, and convenient.
- Support the human connection with intuitive technology solutions.
Conclusion: Many Small Improvements Converge and Amplify Impact in Clinical Trials
There is not one simple solution that will enable the biopharma industry to overcome challenges in clinical trial recruitment and retention. Discussion at DPHARM focused instead on making a number of targeted changes such as those listed above, which could each offer 1-3% of incremental improvement. When combined, these incremental changes could result significant improvement in clinical trials, and discussion at the conference identified an aggregate innovation target of 30% as a threshold that can make a significant positive impact on the clinical trial experience for all stakeholders. Leading organizations will lean heavily on collaborations between cross-functional teams, leveraging innovations throughout the clinical trial continuum, using multiple approaches and meeting patients and HCPs where they are, to make these cumulative improvements a reality.
By increasing awareness of trials among patients and providers, designing trials with patients and sites in mind, and focusing on the future patient for continuous improvement, the industry can create a future where clinical trials are more accessible, inclusive, and effective.
