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Introduction

Text messaging has become one of the most convenient and preferred forms of communication by individuals and businesses alike. Making a robust impact in all industries, text messaging has also proven to improve operational efficiency in the healthcare sector. 

Thanks to the high read and response rates of text messages, providers and patients can now communicate effectively, thereby nurturing engagement. Text messaging has clearly impacted clinical trials as well, and has become essential for the success of these trials, research suggests. It has been increasingly used to boost participant recruitment and retention, keeping patients informed and engaged throughout the course of the trial, and has also made collection and monitoring of participant data a lot easier and more efficient. 

If you are an organization conducting clinical trials, then text messaging is the best way to ensure the success of these trials. Here are some best practices you can follow to ensure that you’re using text messaging to its fullest potential to streamline operations pertaining to clinical trials. 

How to streamline patient engagement in clinical trials through texting?

#1: Automate processes 

Enhanced staff productivity, zero delays, and better response rates are some of the goals that you achieve when you automate your processes while doing clinical trials. There isn’t a better way to do that other than text messaging. Here are some ways you can utilize text messaging to ensure increased patient engagement in clinical trials: 

  • Send emergency alerts to team members and participants
  • Send appointment/study reminders 
  • Send medication reminders to participants
  • Follow up with participants automatically 
  • Send personalized group texts and mass texts 
  • Schedule text messages to be sent out at later dates 
  • Decide the cadence of sending reminders 

#2: Focus on engagement 

If you want to reduce the risk of dropouts, achieve better study outcomes, and ensure participant retention; you need to double down your engagement efforts. Here are some actionable ways to improve patient engagement in clinical trials via text messaging: 

  • Send survey links to participants through texts 
  • Answer queries and address issues 
  • Send motivational messages 
  • Integrate gamification into your messages (For example: If they are halfway through the trial, highlight that they have levelled up)
  • Allow automated check-ins by trial coordinators

#3: Ensure effective communication 

Communicating constantly with your participants is essential to ensure better study outcomes. Offering two-way communication is just what you need to improve patient engagement in clinical trials. Here’s how you can make use of two way-texting: 

  • Manage participants’ responses to reminders and confirmation texts 
  • Answer questions and address concerns 
  • Share educational resources with the participants
  • Guide potential participants through the recruitment process

#4: Ensure compliance while sharing data 

As an organization, you need to be careful while sharing data with the participants during clinical trials, especially via texting. Here are some things to keep in mind in order to improve patient engagement in clinical trials: 

  • Obtain the informed consent of the participants 
  • Use secure messaging platforms that are HIPAA-compliant, offer end-to-end encryption, and also provide centralized control
  • Encrypt the data before sharing it with the participants and share an encryption key for them to access it
  • Implement Two-Factor Authentication
  • Educate the participants about the risks, precautions, and responsibilities pertaining to data sharing
  • Have a dedicated study coordinator to address queries related to data sharing 

#5: Make form sharing easy and accessible 

If you want to enhance participant experience, amp up patient engagement in clinical trials, improve the form completion rates, and ensure accurate data collection; share medical forms via text with the participants. Here are some key strategies to follow while sharing forms for clinical trials: 

  • Optimize the forms; make them mobile friendly 
  • Shorten the form URL  
  • Avoid technical jargon while sending forms 
  • Test the delivery of the message 

#6: Personalize your messages 

Establishing a strong rapport with your participants is key to achieving increased patient engagement in clinical trials. Doing so will ensure clear communication, maintain compliance with ethical and privacy guidelines, and improve participant engagement.

For the same, make sure you personalize the messages you send to your participants. Here are some examples you can personalize the messages for better patient engagement in clinical trials

  • Use the participants’ names to address them 
  • Tailor the messages to the specific milestones of the participants 
  • Provide personalized support addressing their specific needs 

#7: Document your communication 

Any kind of communication done via text with participants during the clinical trials should be documented. Doing so helps demonstrate compliance, ensure adherence to protocols, reduce the risk of errors or misunderstandings, promote transparency, and facilitate continuity of care; thereby improving patient engagement in clinical trials. 

Here are some key strategies to follow while documenting your communication during clinical trials:  

  • Capture the most important information such as the name of the participant, contact details, and date and time of the study
  • Record the content of both incoming and outgoing messages  
  • Have a standardized format in place (Example: Use templates)
  • Make sure to include ample context to clearly reflect the purpose of the communication
  • Store the documented information securely 
  • Keep updating the documented information as you send and receive new messages 

#8: Evaluate your messaging strategy throughout the trials

How do you track the effectiveness of your messaging strategy during the trials? How do you understand whether you are getting the traction that you needed? How do you measure your efforts pertaining to patient engagement in clinical trials? It’s simple; by monitoring the associated metrics. Here are some key strategies to follow: 

  • Develop certain KPIs that align ideally with your study objectives. These could be feedback ratings, appointment attendance, response rates, assessments, or medication adherence 
  • Track metrics such as form completion rate, response rate, and click-through rate to get insights into the overall engagement garnered throughout the trials 
  • Analyze the qualitative data such as complaints, suggestions, or comments by the participants to identify any gaps and trends 
  • Collect feedback from the participants directly through surveys or interviews to measure their overall satisfaction 
  • Utilize these metrics to accordingly tailor your messaging strategy and test new approaches 

Summing Up

With 85 percent of American adults using mobile phones, and a large proportion of them sticking to text messages for communication; you must leverage the true power of text messaging while conducting clinical trials.

If you haven’t incorporated text messaging into managing clinical trials yet, then it is time that you implement it right away to achieve your study objectives more efficiently.