Ensuring that potential participants are fully informed when using digital advertising to recruit for clinical trials can be challenging. Most often, the digital recruitment channels can only provide some of the information, while the rest has to be given over the phone or through an informed consent form. However, here are a few ways to help ensure that potential participants are as fully informed as possible before enrolling:
- Include comprehensive information on the landing page: The ad should provide potential participants with all of the information they need to make an informed decision about whether to participate in the clinical trial. This should include the purpose of the study, the eligibility criteria, the risks and benefits of participation, and the duration of the study.
- Include short, intriguing, but relevant information in the ads. To catch the attention of people scrolling past your clinical trial ad on social media, it is important to be brief. Therefore the space for text in ads is very limited, and the image is more important. Compensation figures usually stand out, and clear short headlines drive more clicks than long paragraphs with full eligibility criteria.
- Provide a clear call to action: The ad should include a clear call to action that directs potential participants to a website or other resource where they can find more information about the clinical trial and how to express interest in participating.
- Use informed consent documents: Informed consent documents provide potential participants with detailed information about the clinical trial and their rights as participants. These documents should be made available to potential participants before they decide to participate in the study.
Overall, ensuring that potential participants are fully informed when using digital advertising to recruit for clinical trials requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach that provides potential participants with all of the information they need to make an informed decision.