Provide Support Services

Opportunity

Access to clinical trials may be limited depending upon the participant’s circumstance. Providing support services (e.g., transportation assistance) may help to eliminate logistical barriers to participation.

Considerations to Help Action the Opportunity

• Incorporate input from participants, care partners and sites to proactively develop a plan to implement support services 
• Partner with investigative sites to understand if support service(s) is suitable for the clinical setting and their participants
• Define reimbursement options, including how and what to reimburse, tailoring services to the sites’ and patients’ needs, such as:
  • Accessibility supports 
  • Transportation assistance
  • Accommodation assistance 
  • Care of dependents 
  • Food
  • Out-of-pocket 
• Consider how to provide reimbursement in a timely manner 
• Identify a single point-of-contact for participant coordination on all relevant support services, including navigating insurance where applicable
• Consider extending hours of operation for participants to attend in evenings or weekends
• Understand the timing of assessments to help minimize participant burden, such as reducing the need to fast all day and facilitating out-of-hours collections or windows for collection (e.g., lab samples testing over the weekend or an allowance that these can be stored over the weekend to facilitate collection of samples on a Friday)

Value and Potential Benefits

• Allows greater access to clinical trials and helps further support patients to remain enrolled​
• Maximizes flexibility in the type of study visits available for participant with less logistic burden​
• Increases convenience to participate regardless of participant’s life circumstances (e.g., barriers to trial participation due to health status, financial background, logistical burdens, mental blockades, and insecurities)