Pharmaceutical and clinical industries are facing fierce demands from insurers, regulators, independent groups and consumers every day. In order to improve clinical trials and the drug discovery process, it is important to build better communication and links between all the stakeholders. This means that pharmaceutical and clinical industries need to have better patient engagement to achieve better outcomes. Such a conclusion was supported by a report released by PwC Health Research Institute (HRI) named “Patient Engagement: Pharma’s Strategy for Success in the New Health Economy”.
The case of patient engagement is a vital one in the pharma industry as the customers are taking charge of their wellness and demanding to be more involved in the decisions related to their own healthcare. The insurers are also asking pharma companies to increase the evidence that their products are providing better and favorable outcomes.
But is it easy to increase patient engagement?
Many patients have a fundamental distrust of the pharma and clinical industries while the regulators want the companies to find new ways to engage with these patients. Pharma industry will have to look for new ways to connect with a larger number of patients more frequently and begin the engagement earlier in the development process. It requires a lot of effort and planning which can incur more costs.
Digital and emerging technologies can play a huge role in supporting and increasing engagement with the patients. For instance, wearable technology and mobile applications make it easy for patients to track their data. Also, patients are also using digital channels to explore information about healthcare and ask questions on social media channels like Facebook and Instagram, related to healthcare conditions. Patient feedback can also be incorporated in trial processes through online surveys and focus groups. All these technologies have improved patient engagement.
Ways to Improve Patient Engagement in Clinical Trials
1- Move From Traditional to Digital Recruitment Method
Recruiting patients to fill clinical trials has become difficult through the traditional methods of posting advertisements in print or through word of mouth. Now digital technologies and channels can be used to recruit patients by advertising on websites, online patient communities or by communicating with patient groups on social media.
2- Treating Patients as Collaborators
Instead of treating patients as subjects, pharma and clinical industries can treat patients as collaborators in order to increase their input on issues like research mistrust. This way, patient concerns can also be addressed related to study design. When they will be active participants in a clinical trial, the engagement with these people will be maximized.
3- Creating Virtual Trials
Traveling to clinical sites for assessments can be difficult for many participants who may not have the time or the means to travel long distances. If virtual trials are created, many participants will be willing to participate in the clinical trials and share their input. Virtual trials can leverage social media, telemedicine, applications, e-consent and biosensors to communicate better with the patients.
4- Improving Clinical Trial Patient Care with Digital Tools
Patient adherence to treatment is usually measured by self-reporting. However, the clinical industry can use modern technology to improve patient care and increase treatment adherence through the trial period. For example, text messages or smartphone applications can remind patients to take medication on time or help them record health data and also answer their questions in real-time.
What Shouldn’t be Missed in Translating Clinical Trial Documents
Clinical trials often involve the participation of candidates from different nationalities who may speak different languages. For this reason, translation of documents to a different language that explains the procedure of the clinical trial is needed in order for the participant to understand it clearly. However, translating clinical trial documents is not an easy task. There are many considerations involved.
Every country has different rules and regulations for clinical trials. When translating documents for clinical trials, it is important to adhere to these rules and regulations exactly. All clinical research protocols also must comply with rules and regulations from different sources such as the FDA, the European Union and the World Health Organization. These organizations have different rules which direct how the study material should be translated so that the trial data is accurate and the material presented to the patients meets ethical standards.
Quality clinical translation for clinical trials has an ethical implication. When patients participate in clinical research they need to provide informed consent. Informed consent documents have to be translated correctly and in a way that the target audience understands clearly without any ambiguity. Even small changes in meaning in clinical translation can cause confusion if the terminology is too technical for patients to understand.
An experienced translation company like Future Tans can also play a role in your recruitment programs by ensuring that your brand voice and message is reflected in all translated marketing materials that appeal to your target audience.
Future Trans offers clinical translation services that follow the best practices for quality assurance. Future Trans and our inbound operation team are medical experts with a medical background who can take care of these protocols strictly in order to give you accurate translation.
We can help you with your pharmaceutical translation project on a budget. Contact us now for an instant quote.
