Experience Is The Key To Quality DCTs

By Julian Meekings, Medical Research Network

Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) have been around for years, but the recent COVID-19 pandemic increased their popularity dramatically. The rise of remote work and telehealth demonstrates that people can conduct many tasks from home, including participating in clinical trials. DCTs are particularly appealing to patients with rare or severe diseases, as they may have difficulty making regular visits to a trial center that could be many miles from their home. DCTs allow patients to participate, on their terms, in cutting-edge therapeutic innovations.

If you’re investigating a common disease, recruiting patients is relatively simple. But trials investigating rare diseases need help finding enough patients near the clinical site to meet the minimum enrollment requirements. If too few patients enroll, the trial fails before it begins, stalling the effort to create life-saving therapeutics. DCTs, however, can cast a wider geographical net to recruit patients, increasing the likelihood of the trial’s success.

DCTs have many advantages, but you need an experienced provider to manage the intricacies involved in their execution. The issues you must consider for your DCT are much more complicated than a traditional, on-site trial. Working with an experienced, full-service DCT provider is a must for sponsors looking to maximize patient recruitment, retention, and safety and ensure data quality.