On December 18, 2022, Lionel Messi posted a series of photos on Instagram lifting the FIFA World Cup Trophy and celebrating with his teammates. It reached 10 million likes within the first 39 minutes, and currently sits as the most-liked Instagram post of all time with 75.5 million likes (and counting).

In today’s digital world, it’s easier than ever to reach large audiences with just the click of a button. The downside? It’s just as easy for everybody else.

With so much noise on the internet, it can be difficult for your patient recruitment efforts to make an impact and stand out from the crowd. That’s where customized patient outreach comes in. By understanding your target audience and tailoring your recruitment efforts to the specific needs and interests of patients, you can create a more meaningful and engaging experience that drives recruitment and fills your clinical trial faster than you thought possible.

Ways to start customizing your patient outreach today

Patients want a concise message, a compelling reason to take part in a clinical trial, and a clear action to take. Customizing your patient outreach is about making all of those things as approachable and inclusive as possible. There are barriers for some when it comes to healthcare, but you can start making your recruitment even more accessible today.

Let’s start with cultural sensitivity. Include a diverse representation of people in your photos and acknowledge alternative drugs or treatments that patients in your target audience may value or have experience with. Language barriers are also common. Consider hiring a translator (or hire multilingual staff!) to help you include different languages if your clinical trial is drawing from an ethnically diverse population.

Patient recruitment should also assume that participants have a varied level of health literacy. If you’re not a healthcare professional, or work in the healthcare industry, technical information can be difficult to understand. Use plain language and omit medical jargon if and when appropriate.

Additional benefits of customized patient outreach

Patient trust is crucial when recruiting for clinical trials. Customized outreach that demonstrates an understanding of cultural nuances, language preferences, and individual needs helps build the trust needed for them to enroll. Also, establishing credibility helps address any concerns about the safety and legitimacy of a specific clinical trial while also reducing the likelihood of any misunderstandings.

Also, creating messages that resonate with the specific needs, concerns, interests, and fears of the target population will likely lead to increased engagement. This involves using language that is easily understandable, culturally sensitive, and addresses potential barriers to participation. This is especially true when it comes to underrepresented audience segments, and can lead to better representation within your trial patient group.

Questions to ask recruitment providers about their outreach

Want to see if an organization is up to the task of customizing their patient outreach to suit your recruitment needs? Start with these open-ended questions:

• How do you define and identify your target audience for a clinical trial?
• What are the steps in your full-funnel communication process, and how much time is there between each step?
• What communication channels do you utilize for outreach?
• Can you give an example of a past campaign where you had to adjust your outreach strategies to recruit for an underrepresented patient group?
• What steps do you take to understand the specific requirements and culture of our organization?
• How do you develop bi-lingual creative and copy? Who are the people involved in each step, and how long does each step take?
• How much time is there between identifying a qualified candidate for trials and receiving their informed consent?
• Do you have any processes in place to gather feedback during the recruitment process?

1nHealth: Customized patient recruitment for a changing world

Patient recruitment is about finding the right patients for the right clinical trials. Compelling communication that’s created with the patient in mind increases their willingness to participate. This is especially important in creating a more inclusive environment, ultimately leading to accelerated patient enrollment in clinical trials. 

Since 2019, 1nHealth has been filling clinical trials faster than ever before. Take a look at our experiences and see how we can help. Click here to connect with us today.