Recruitment Worked. Can Participants Actually Stay In The Study?

Recruitment confirms that a participant is eligible and willing to join a study. It doesn’t, however, confirm that they can afford to show up to each appointment. Even when every visit is budgeted, and reimbursement runs on schedule, participants are often expected to pay first and get repaid later. The gap matters most when plans change: visits land back-to-back, a ride falls through, or an appointment runs past the last train home. In each case, the participant’s commitment hasn’t changed, but attending now requires money they may not have.

How can study teams test their travel and payment plans against real visit schedules rather than assumptions? Here we explore when arranging and paying for trips directly works better than reimbursement and who should be flagging problematic patterns. Close the gap in your clinical trial.