Just how important is time to respond?

Contacting patients quickly after expressing interest in a trial significantly increases the likelihood they’ll follow through to a screening visit.

But by how much?

We dug into the data, and it turns out speed matters more than you might think.

Calling patient referrals within 5 hours vs. 22 hours later, increases the rate of screening visits booked by 50%. The correlation between response time and patient engagement is crystal clear: the faster the follow-up, the better the recruitment outcome.

But making this a reality can be challenging. Researchers are juggling multiple responsibilities, making it difficult to follow up with every patient immediately.

We’ve seen firsthand how these logistical challenges slow down recruitment, and we’ve created a solution that removes these obstacles. Developed alongside researchers, we’ve focused on what matters most.

Why Speed is Essential in Patient Recruitment

Timing is everything in patient recruitment. A patient’s interest in a clinical trial is strongest right after they sign up. On Power, this means a patient is actively evaluating trials on withpower.com and then signing up for a trial they’re most interested in. We then refer qualified patients to sites (more on that below).

Delays in follow-up can lead to frustration or uncertainty, causing patients to lose interest or seek other options. Reaching out within hours, rather than days, establishes a sense of trust and engagement from the start. Data confirms this—when patients receive a quick follow-up, they’re more likely to book a screening visit.

Streamlining Response Time with Power’s Tools

To help researchers respond quickly, we provide a suite of tools that streamline and simplify the process of contacting and qualifying patients.

• Pre-Screening and Qualification: We collect and analyze medical records upon clinical trial sign up, and refer only qualified patients that match the trial protocol. This way, researchers don't have to spend valuable time combing through unqualified leads; instead, they can focus only on the patients who are highly likely to be qualified for the trial.
• Medical Record Summaries: Patients are referred with medical record summaries and pre-screener answers, giving researchers a quick view of each patient’s eligibility. This feature enables researchers to skip the lengthy initial review and compare the patient’s answers directly against IE criteria (we provide an easy visual so it's all in one page).
• Built-In Communication Tools: Responding quickly is easier when you don't need to switch systems. From each patient’s profile page, researchers can call patients directly through the platform. They’ll have immediate access to all relevant details as they speak, allowing for a personalized, informed conversation that establishes trust right from the start.
• SMS Notifications for Missed Calls and Messages: When a patient misses a call from a research site or receives a message in their inbox from a researcher, they are promptly notified via SMS and email. This feature helps bridge communication gaps, ensuring patients stay engaged, even when they’re unable to connect immediately.

Broader Takeaways: Best Practices for Quick and Effective Patient Follow-Up

From our experience, several best practices can help clinical operations teams ensure they respond to patients quickly:

1. Establish a quick-response protocol: Aim to respond to patient applications within 5 hours whenever possible.
2. Pre-qualify leads: Focus on connecting with patients who are likely matches for the trial. This way, researchers can dedicate their time and resources to interactions that matter.
3. Utilize integrated communication tools: Use a platform that consolidates patient data and contact options to avoid wasting time switching between systems.
4. Enable automated notifications: Leverage notification features to keep patients informed, reduce missed opportunities, and ensure they feel supported and valued.
5. Support sites: Track site-level response times and support those below target. Slow response times often indicate capacity issues, suggesting re-allocation may be beneficial.

Translating patient engagement into the next step is an important piece of the patient recruitment journey. We've found that once a patient expresses interest, a prompt response is critical to supporting them in their decision journey.

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