The most used and trusted sources are colleagues or specialists (82% would use and recommend them) and ClinicalTrials.gov (81%). Medical journals, research coordinators, and specialty society websites fall in the middle. Independent sources are perceived as less biased than industry-controlled ones.
WHITE PAPER | SEP 04, 2026
The Trials of Trial Discovery: How Physicians Find, Evaluate, and Share Clinical Trial Information
Survey responses suggest a fragmented trial information landscape that is confusing, difficult to navigate, and incomplete.
FAQ
Where do physicians typically go to find clinical trial information?
What are the biggest challenges physicians face when searching for trials?
The most common discovery challenge is difficulty filtering results by patient eligibility — 87% of physicians encounter this at least sometimes. On the information quality side, 79% say eligibility criteria are incomplete or missing key details, and 74% find them written in confusing or unclear language.
How much time do physicians spend searching for clinical trial information?
The median search time is approximately 11 minutes per patient. At the 5-minute mark, 80% of physicians are still searching — but by 15 minutes, that drops to just 30%, and only 11% continue past 30 minutes. Most searches happen the same day as the patient visit, often during or immediately after the appointments.
