Patient participation in trials often feels one-sided, with participants submitting data, making visits, and following up as required, yet not always knowing how the study is going or if they are progressing well. Clinical trial technology now enables a dramatic change, enabling patient engagement at a much deeper level, starting with patient ownership of their data.
Rather than viewing patients simply as study subjects, seeing them as stakeholders in the process and the outcomes can greatly enhance the quality of trial results while improving the quality of life for participants.
In the previous installment of this series, we looked at how current technology is helping to drive greater patient engagement through user-friendly interfaces and greater data transparency. Now we can go much further, using technologies that make it easier and faster to give participants control over their study-related data.
Because when patients lead, progress follows.
Patient engagement in clinical trials through data ownership
By ensuring participants maintain data ownership and control over how, when, and where their data is shared, they can become much more engaged in the clinical trial process. The result is not just better patient engagement and retention, but giving each participant the sense that they are contributing to the outcomes in a collaborative, meaningful way.
For example, a comprehensive ePRO system can go beyond one-way data collection. It becomes a hub of communication, interaction, and data access for all parties. Instead of trial data going into a “black box,” patients retain access to their information through a secure ePRO platform, with the ability to decide how their data is shared and used. This includes being able to review it for themselves, so they can see their personalized health data, treatment progress, and how their conditions are impacted by the trial.
Consider the possibilities presented by real-time dashboards that provide a window into all of a patient’s study-related data. The ability to easily see their status, as opposed to waiting for an update, gives patients a sense of involvement in their care. Transparency empowers patients to take a more active stance in their health journeys and gives them a greater stake in the trial’s outcomes.
How remote patient monitoring (RPM) boosts patient engagement
Technology that requires extra effort to use will likely turn patients away from interacting with it. Wearables such as smartwatches have become incredibly capable as remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices. The ability to sync via Bluetooth with phones and tablets makes it simple to upload results to an ePRO system in real time, automatically tracking symptoms and vitals.
Since passive data collection now supports tests like heart rate tracking, pulse oximeter readings, and ECG monitoring that used to require standalone devices, it’s more likely that patients will stick with the routine of wearing a passive device. This improves the completeness and accuracy of study data and can also alert clinicians to any readings that may be too far from ideal.
How AI in clinical trials enables personalized engagement
Generative AI in clinical trials enables more personalized interactions between patients and study teams, automating many of the steps that used to take people hours or even days to accomplish. Participants can ask plain language questions of an AI-powered system and immediately get a reply based on the latest information. This means patients could:
- Ask for a clear explanation of study protocols, including what is expected of participants
- Get real-time feedback based on their data, and be better informed on their own progress as well as the study’s overall results
- Receive help with data entry, making inputs more accurate and easier to manage
- Interact with the system to understand next steps, demystify complex medical terms and test results, notify the right people regarding issues, and even simplify paperwork or processes quickly, at any time of day or night.
Ironically, AI can enable human-friendly interactions for patients, delivering key information to participants anywhere, at any time.
How blockchain technology enhances data integrity in clinical trials
Personally identifiable information must be protected at all times, both to comply with regulations and to maintain the trust and safety of participants. Encryption and cybersecurity capabilities play an important role in providing that security, but blockchain technology is poised to create an even higher level of patient privacy.
The distributed nature of blockchain can enable not only greater data security than other methods, but also ensure enhanced data integrity. Since blockchain transactions are designed to be verifiable, it is obvious if some data element has been compromised—as demonstrated in a UCSF proof-of-concept system that creates an immutable audit trail for clinical trial data. This can eliminate the risk of unauthorized access or tampering. Blockchain may also improve the interoperability of data between systems, which shrinks the risk of error when it is shared.
All of this combines to improve the accuracy of studies, but also to provide greater confidence in the security of the data for patients and clinical trial teams.
Next up: Maintaining patient-centricity for the long-term
Clearly, technology can not only make study management easier for clinical trial teams but is poised to give patients a greater sense of engagement and ownership over their participation. Participants are taking giant steps toward becoming true partners, rather than just study subjects.
What’s next is to actively sustain patient-centricity, making it an essential part of every study. In the next article, we’ll look at retention strategies designed to create long-lasting engagement and trust, including incentive programs and thoughtful, more intuitive design.
