It is time to call for nothing less than a complete overhaul of the recruiting process to focus squarely on the patient and redefine the way we look at clinical trials, as if we were the patient.

This would lead to:

• A greater focus on communicating with volunteers about the larger contribution they make to medical advances by participating, and sharing the results of research accordingly
• Promoting the opportunity to receive state-of-the-art care and then providing it consistently
• Offering the convenience of staying in the community practice while participating in research
• Providing patients access to their own records as well as overall trial data online so they feel part of the progress
• Creating online support networks for participants

The informed choice process

This would require using clear health communication principles and a complete overhaul of the training, which site coordinators and recruiters receive, to include psychosocial training.

Some of the sites have done extensive work in simplifying the informed consent process for patients, while also ensuring that it meets IRB standards. They have developed a one-page graphic schema that helps research volunteers understands an entire research protocol and their role in it. It is important for us to realize that patient trust in the sponsor is critical; without trust high attrition is a predictable problem.

The clinical trials sites could set up patient-to-patient mentor programs, as well as online communication between participants and site coordinators. Another approach is to involve patient advocacy organizations, which already have infrastructure and communication venues in place, to guide people through the process so that they are not lost due to information-overload.