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Optimize clinical trial design and the patient experience
Clinical trials are essential for the development of new disease treatments. However, it can be challenging to attract and retain the right candidates.
If you are starting out on Ph II of asset development and developing a strategy for the clinical trial, we can help build your understanding to maximize enrolment and keep participants engaged throughout the process.
Better clinical trial study design
Higher participant recruitment and retention
Increased protocol adherence
Improved clinical outcomes
The types of questions we would find answers to include:
What is the typical patient profile?
Where does their journey begin?
What are the drivers and barriers to enrolment and participation?
What would be the challenges with adherence?
What will be the length and commitment required to complete the clinical trial?
What types of patient will be most committed?
To avoid bias and generate deeper, more meaningful insights, we use behavioral science models to uncover subconscious beliefs and behaviours.
Our client wanted to inform Phase III study design to support the uptake of their NASH asset. They wished to explore the current barriers to optimum patient management, what an ideal future treatment would look like and what patient support services would be most desired.
They wanted to inform how clinical trials can be supported by exploring any potential barriers to participate, and how these barriers could be addressed.
Our approachWe conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with NASH patients and treaters. Patients also participated in a digital ethnography exercise to reveal the day-to-day impact of NASH on their lives and the emotional journey faced from diagnosis, including any interaction or potential interaction with clinical trials.
We used the EAST framework, which combines elements of behavioral economics and psychology, to understand and influence behavior change. Using this as our foundation, the findings demonstrated (with examples), what physicians and patients considered to be effective vs. ineffective to inform future clinical trials and how current perceptions and behaviors could be changed to increase clinical trial enrolment and engagement.
The outcomesWe provided efficient and actionable recommendations for future strategy and developed a range of rich and engaging outputs, including:
Embedded patient selected images, and self recorded audio clips of verbatims to bring key insights to life
A video montage capturing the patient journey, including insights into their experiences of clinical trial engagement – both when they had chosen to participate, rejected offers, and feelings about future opportunities.
