Trishna Bharadia has multiple sclerosis and works as a patient engagement consultant and is often asked to participate in clinical trials. Mostly, though, she turns them down. She has to; a resident of rural England, Bharadia lives hours away from most clinical trial sites. Even if one were closer, the medical care typically requires time off work, which is hard for her to get.
Bharadia participated in one trial to identify the best type of physical exercise for people with MS shortly after she was diagnosed in 2008. But she hasn't been able to participate in any other research studies since.
Finding participants to fill trials is often one of the biggest stumbling blocks in medical research. Nearly 80% of trials don't meet enrollment deadlines.
And although 70% of Americans say patients should have more opportunities to be a part of research, no more than 5% of cancer patients, for example, ultimately participate. It's why Bharadia and a growing group of health advocates and physicians have been pushing for a new kind of clinical trial.
Unlike standard clinical trials, which require a person to travel to a central testing facility for everything from bloodwork to medication administration to follow-up, remote trials use a combination of telemedicine, home health, and other technologies to bring the trial to the patient.
