BBK Worldwide, a provider of patient recruitment, has launched BIO Notifier Plus, which utilizes a global opt-in physician database, a proprietary rating and ranking system and in-country direct physician contact to bring specialists to clinical trials.

BBK’s patented patient recruitment portal, TrialCentralNet (TCN), stores detailed recruitment data for hundreds of trials. “It is clear that the art and science of matchmaking physicians to trials requires a combination of technology and service to maximize efforts,” said Matt Kibby, principal, technology and innovation, BBK Worldwide.

BBK supports trials statistically recorded as the more difficult trials for which to recruit—rare diseases, trial competition and short recruitment time frames. “It’s all about the nuances of the match, and this is where you need experienced consultants to utilize the right data at the right time and know how to translate the analysis into tactics,” said Kibby.

Research that guided formation of BIO Notifier Plus found:

In site selection, physician referral networks and patient panels are particularly critical when the doctor is less inclined to accept advertising-referred patients;

• Patient flow at the site level, in and of itself, is not a correct indicator of potential enrollment success
• The greater the attention that sites pay to recruitment data-sensitivity, the greater the likelihood of enrollment success
• Performance during the first third of the enrollment period is a strong indicator of site ability to attain recruitment goals
• Any kind of activity at the site level increases study awareness and leads to higher enrollment. In many cases, advertising not only provides referrals, but also leads to enrollment from the investigator’s patient panel
• In relevant countries where sites and study staff are less receptive to centralized patient recruitment campaigns, sites will enroll an average of 15% to 20% fewer patients than their counterparts embracing outreach techniques, as determined by enrollment projection models
• Sites that have recruitment, prescreening and screening simplification tools have 15% to 50% greater screening rates than those that have only minimal support.

BBK uses in-country site ambassadors trained to find, reach and connect referring physicians with investigators. BBK recently deployed members of its Patient Recruitment Global Alliance, founded by BBK, to support several rare disease trials debilitated by slow enrollment.

“The use of databases and web outreach make a difference, but it is the in-country presence by those who intimately know and understand the healthcare landscape that tips the scales in our recruitment direction,” said Therese R. Revesz, principal of GlobalReach-SBI and member of the Patient Recruitment Global Alliance.