Clinical Trials
How clinical trials actually work — how they are designed, how people are recruited and kept informed, and what good practice looks like. Written for anyone who wants to understand the machinery, whether you are considering a trial or running one.
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The Psychology of Joining a Clinical Trial
Read more: The Psychology of Joining a Clinical TrialApplies cognitive load theory and self-determination theory to trial recruitment, arguing consent processes overload patients and that reducing extraneous burden, building trust,…
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Retention Problems Often Start at the Beginning
Read more: Retention Problems Often Start at the BeginningOpens with a trial team confronting dropout data and argues retention failures are baked in during protocol design, urging reduced patient burden,…
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Hidden Friction That Quietly Pushes Patients Out
Read more: Hidden Friction That Quietly Pushes Patients OutArgues patient withdrawal is the cumulative result of small frictions like scheduling conflicts and delayed reimbursements, and shows how decentralized components, flexibility,…
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When Flexibility Drives Broader Patient Engagement
Read more: When Flexibility Drives Broader Patient EngagementMakes the case to sponsors that planned flexibility, including remote consent, hybrid visits, and varied communication, widens participation, improves retention and equity,…
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When Engagement Extends Past Medication
Read more: When Engagement Extends Past MedicationShows how non-clinical touchpoints such as welcome calls, plain-language education, logistics help, and post-trial thank-yous shape trust and retention, especially in rare…
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Letting Patients Shape Research From Day One
Read more: Letting Patients Shape Research From Day OneMakes the case for involving patients from the earliest design stages, showing how early lived-experience input improves feasibility, endpoints, site engagement, and…
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Designing Research That Reflects Real Populations
Read more: Designing Research That Reflects Real PopulationsMakes the scientific and ethical case for trial diversity, citing FDA and WHO guidance, and outlines inclusive design practices: broader eligibility, hybrid…
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Capturing Lived Experience Beyond Clinical Measurements
Read more: Capturing Lived Experience Beyond Clinical MeasurementsArgues that traditional endpoints miss how treatment affects daily life, and shows how capturing lived experience data through patient input improves trial…
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The Hidden Toll, Side Effects Beyond the Drug
Read more: The Hidden Toll, Side Effects Beyond the DrugFrames travel, cost, scheduling, and stress as logistical side effects of trial participation that drive dropout, and offers low-cost fixes like clustered…
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The 3 E’s Part 3: Empowerment That Strengthens Retention
Read more: The 3 E’s Part 3: Empowerment That Strengthens RetentionPart 3 of a series arguing that empowering patients through shared decision-making, co-designed materials, feedback loops, and staff training is a concrete…