Liz Mascherino, the advisor for Lilly’s Clinical Innovation Group, recently participated in an interview to discuss the ways that patient recruitment and engagement can be changed to better meet the needs of patients.
Mascherino’s goal is to use technology solutions like the Internet to improve patient engagement for clinical research. The purpose is to realistically change the aggressive enrollment goals, which are part of setting the stage for studies.
Mascherino and her colleagues use data-driven, smart engagement strategies targeting patients. Lilly is striving to change how patients are recruited, making the process more pleasant for the patients.
“Today’s patients increasingly view autonomy and access to information as important elements in a good patient experience,” Mascherino said. “Clinical trials are no exception. Patients should have access to quality clinical trial information, right alongside other health care information, so they are empowered to make the choices that are best for them. By meeting these patient expectations, we can also improve clinical trial enrollment. In the past, patients wanting to educate themselves about clinical trials or find trials would have to be extremely motivated. Now all they need is Internet access and a little curiosity. If we provide valuable and relevant clinical trial information for patients, they become newly empowered to consider clinical trials as an option.”
This change will help Lilly to place more focus on the patients and caregivers involved in the studies.
