Engaging Clinical Trial Sites: The Role Of The Clinical Trial Liaison

By Martin Lee, Vice President, Investigator Relations, PRA Health Sciences

The ability to engage customers is a primary driver of business success because fully engaged customers tend to purchase more and are overall more profitable than those who are less engaged (Dasu & Chase, 2013).

Enrollment in clinical trials is heavily dependent on two very important customers: the research subject and the clinical trial investigator. Research subjects are highly valuable since it is obviously impossible to complete a clinical trial without a willing group of participants. There are many groups and even entire companies that specialize in engaging potential subjects and connecting them to clinical trials (Centerwatch 2004). A variety of "direct-to-patient" strategies are used to engage potential subjects, including traditional media advertising (TV, radio, newspaper), Web-based strategies (including social media), and community outreach among others.