CRO inVentiv Reports On The Public's Engagement With Clinical Trials

inVentiv Clinical Trial Recruitment Solutions (iCTRS) announced in a press release that it has presented a report on patient and public attitudes toward clinical research. inVentiv, a contract research organization (CRO), in collaboration with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP), held an invitation-only forum in Princeton, NJ. Participants included representatives from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

CISCRP presented the results from a global research study and iCTRS discussed practical applications of the research. Jim Kremidas, SVP of Patient Recruitment at iCTRS and a member of the CISCRP Board of Advisors, said, “The basis for successfully engaging patients is understanding them. Through conducting behavioral research we can gain insights into people’s decision-making processes, motivational drivers and influencers—all of which inform a study’s outreach strategy and communication plan.”

CISCRP Study

CISCRP personnel presented results of the study, “CISCRP 2013 Perceptions and Insights Study,” at the forum. The study of about 6,000 patients is divided into five parts, downloadable from CISCRP’s website. The General Perceptions report is a brief overview of patient perceptions of clinical trials. It has a user-friendly interface with color charts and bulleted information points. Interested parties can see some of the questions that patients responded to, such as “How safe are Clinical Research Studies?”

Ken Getz, Founder and Board Chair of CISCRP, said in the press release that it had been eight years since a survey of public perception had been performed. He said there have been marked improvements. Mr. Getz also identified some challenges including age-related and regional differences. The study showed that Latin American families refer each other to clinical studies three times more than North American families do. In the Asia-Pacific region, patients feel less obligated to continue research studies compared to North Americans.

inVentiv Discussion

inVentiv conducted discussions at the forum, using the data from the study. The main point that the CRO broached, was the importance of using this type of behavioral research in the future to improve the clinical trial process. Mr. Kremidas of iCTRS explained that more information on behavioral research to improve patient engagement was available in the company’s library. He encouraged attendees at the forum to become students of behavioral science as it relates to understanding patients, their motivations, and their decision-making processes.