Last week I was a patient participant at the #CVCT18 – The conference for Cardio Vascular Clinical Trialists. It was very interesting and we did have a lot of discussions and conversations. One question was about the best way to recruit a diverse group of trial patients.
One cardiologist made a convincing argument. She said that patients need someone they can trust when it comes to participating. That was why she always asked the patients she wanted to include herself.
“When you participate, I am going to adopt you. You will become my family. Nobody will do anything to you without discussing with me first. And you will have a team on your side. Your nurses will be your guardian angels. They will support you, monitor you, protect you and contact me when things are not going the way they should. Would you like to participate?”
It was a very sincere plea and if I were her patient I would join immediately.
Also there was a discussion about online recruitment for trials. That way you can recruit patients you otherwise would not have seen. Yet how will patients trust the trial when they have no personal connection to the doctor?
I learned that – no matter whether you are in the control group or the experimental group – your medical care during a trial is better than regular medical care, according to the doctors who presented this statement.
It was an interesting session with patients, doctors, the FDA and the industry. An open discussion. I really was happy I was able to participate.
Thanks to #Faied Zannad for inviting me!
The day the world started to spin... 