Clinical trials are crucial for advancing medical research, but they often face significant barriers in terms of participant recruitment and retention. To build a diverse, engaged participant pool and ensure trial success, researchers must adopt a community-centered approach. Below are key strategies for making clinical trials more accessible and inclusive.
Improving Access Through Trusted Community Partnerships
Effective clinical research depends on participation from a broad range of individuals. But, many patients simply aren’t reached through traditional recruitment methods. To improve both access and trial outcomes:
✅ Work with trusted local providers
Patients are more open to joining clinical trials when the opportunity is introduced by a doctor or clinic they already know. Strengthening relationships with community-based physicians improves trust and enrollment especially in rural or underserved areas.
✅ Remove language barriers
Clear, understandable information is essential. Providing materials in multiple languages and ensuring interpreters are available when needed allows more patients to make informed decisions.
✅ Use digital tools with a personal touch
Online outreach can be efficient and scalable but real connection still matters. A follow-up phone call or in-person visit often makes the difference between interest and participation.
Make Participation Practical
Enrolling participants is only half the battle. Retaining them is just as critical to trial success. If participation is too costly or disruptive, even the most motivated individuals may drop out. To improve retention and keep trials on track:
✅ Cover the real costs
For many, small stipends don’t cover the true burden. By offsetting transportation, childcare, and lost wages, we make participation viable and avoid costly attrition.
✅ Minimize daily disruption
Long travel and rigid schedules don’t reflect today’s realities. Offer evening or weekend appointments, remote check-ins, and at-home options to reduce inconvenience and keep people engaged.
✅ Make participation seamless
Leverage technology like apps, wearables, and short check-ins that integrate trial activities into daily routines. When participation feels easy, people are more likely to stick with it.
Trust Begins with Your Team
If we want our results to be strong, valid, and generalizable, we need to make sure our teams are equipped to understand and engage with the full spectrum of people who could benefit from new treatments.
✅ Hire with Intention, Train with Purpose
When possible, bring in staff who reflect the communities you’re working with. When that’s not feasible, provide grounded, respectful cultural training, things like understanding local norms, family roles, or health literacy. It builds trust and strengthens your data.
✅ Engage the Community: One Step at a Time
No need to reinvent the wheel. Invite a community member to your next team meeting. You’ll uncover blind spots and improve relevance with minimal disruption.
✅ Localize Your Team Orientation
Give your team the tools to understand who they’re serving. Including community insights in onboarding helps prevent missteps and supports stronger, more reliable enrollment and retention.
Building Representation Into Trial Design
To make clinical trials more inclusive, it’s crucial to design schedules that accommodate participants’ real-life needs. This includes input from working parents, rural communities, and people with disabilities to ensure flexibility.
✅ Build Schedules Around Lives, Not Labs
Co-design trial protocols with input from patients, physicians, and coordinators, especially those from working parents, rural communities, and people with disabilities, to ensure flexibility and real-life relevance.
✅ Rethink Restrictive Criteria
Review and adjust eligibility criteria to include a broader, more diverse patient population, ensuring that trials reflect real-world demographics for more meaningful and applicable results.
From Outreach to Relationship
Building trust with clinical trial participants doesn’t stop once enrollment is over. Maintaining strong relationships throughout the trial and beyond can significantly impact future participation.
✅ Stay Present Between Trials
Maintain ongoing engagement by hosting workshops, attending local events, or offering screenings in collaboration with trusted community groups. This builds lasting trust and shows commitment beyond recruitment.
✅ Share Results, Show Gratitude
After the trial ends, provide participants with plain-language summaries and express appreciation for their contribution. This turns research into a meaningful experience and encourages future participation.
