Two recent reports have highlighted the benefits of using cell phone technology within Clinical Trials to improve patient compliance.
The first, a collaborative paper between MDS Pharma services and Exco InTouch, reported that the use of outreach via cell phone, resulted in typical response rates of 50% to 60% compared to approximately 5% when using traditional paper-based methods. The authors concluded that the
implementation of mobile communication strategies alongside existing procedures or as a standalone method ensured that CROs and Sponsors could benefit from significantly improved overall data quality. This in turn leads to more successful clinical trials with improved recruitment rates and reduced lost-to-follow-up and reduced study costs.
In the second, which undertook a review of clinical studies, where the internet was used as a medium for the delivery of interventions designed to promote health behaviour, the authors found that the use of SMS reminder services improved subject compliance. The review showed that text messages were highly effective means of prompting an action and had been used in several ways:
• to promote interaction with the intervention
• to send motivational messages (eg, reminders of the benefits of exercise)
• to challenge dysfunctional beliefs
• to provide a cue to action
The authors concluded that, although the Internet provides a suitable medium for delivering interventions, personal contact via text message helps to support behaviour change.
We at Exco InTouch understand that behavioural change is critical in ensuring patient compliance and we believe that using cell phone technology in clinical trials offers a powerful and non-intrusive method of direct-to-subject communication which overcomes the most common challenges in clinical trials.
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