Michael Musty, Director of the Duke CTSI Recruitment Innovation Center (RIC), was recently featured in Clinical Research as a Care Option (CRAACO)’s Winter 2021 newsletter. In this issue, Musty outlines how Duke is working to invigorate patient enrollment in clinical research studies.
“RIC is trying to help study teams identify, engage, and enroll participants more efficiently
and effectively,” Musty said, according to the article. “We can help them design and personalize studies to find the right population. We can introduce them to different players in the field that help them connect to the right resources, as well as supply sound strategies for meeting the recruitment goals.”
Musty explains that, while tools like MyChart are good at identifying patients who are potentially good matches for studies, the recruitment process is multi-layered. For example, certain populations that may not have reliable access to WiFi may need to be reached via mail or phone.
“I’ve found that the closer you get to the human touch, the more personal the method is, the better the chance of success,” he said. “Reaching out in person to speak with a potential participant is always better than a random message being sent to some account that may or may not be active, and can be easily deleted, forgotten, or never seen.”
When it comes to the work the RIC is doing, Musty noted challenges like regulatory burdens and a reliance on the same recruitment methods. He and his team are seeking to reach study teams earlier in the grant process to help alleviate some of these challenges.
“Rather than waiting until a study team is behind on recruitment goals, if we are involved upstream as the study is being designed, we can work with the investigators as they write the grant to determine if what they’re proposing is doable or if there is too much burden on the participant,” Musty said.
To read the full article and the rest of the newsletter, visit the CRAACO website.