Smart Patients Case Study: Patient Input in Clinical Trial Recruitment

Last updated: Jan 9, 2026

Citeline engaged Smart Patients to gain patient insights on its Citeline Connect content. Smart Patients’ patient advisory board reviewed sample Citeline Connect IRB-approved outreach materials and three of its Clinical Trial Portfolio Websites.

Overview

Clinical trial patient recruitment remains a thorny problem for many sponsors. One reason traditionally cited is patients’ lack of willingness to participate. Not all statistics bear this out, however. For example, 91% of respondents in the 2023 Perceptions & Insights study from the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) said they were at least somewhat willing to participate in a clinical trial.¹

Clearly, there is a disconnect between patients who want to participate in clinical trials and the sponsors who run these trials. One way to bridge this divide is to connect with patients where they are looking for study information — and increasingly that is online. According to CISCRP’s 2023 study, aside from speaking with their doctor, more than one-third of respondents said their first step in identifying a clinical study that is right for them would be to conduct an online search.¹

To continue narrowing the gap between patient candidates and clinical trial sponsors, Citeline engaged Smart Patients’ Virtual Patient Advisory Board (vPAB) panel to gain patient insights on its Citeline Connect patient engagement and recruitment solution. The vPAB consultations involved sample versions of Citeline Connect’s IRB-approved outreach materials and three of its Clinical Trial Portfolio Websites.

Read more..

Download