Abstract
Potential participants seek information about clinical trials for many reasons, but the process can be challenging. We analyzed 101,249 searches in ResearchMatch Trials Today, a free interface to recruiting trials from ClinicalTrials.gov. Searches from March 2015 to November 2016 included a broad range of conditions and healthy volunteer concepts, including 12,649 unique topics. Trials Today data indicate that it is being used to identify trials on a variety of topics.
Highlights
Members of the public, including patients, seek information about clinical trials for many reasons
There is usually no one within a typical healthcare system with both the expertise and supported time to walk a patient through various trial options
The searcher must weigh various search options that are often not optimized for lay audiences. These disconnects can lead to patients missing viable trial options
Summary
Members of the public, including patients, seek information about clinical trials for many reasons. Motivations include: exploring trials that might offer different treatment options and learning about interventions under study for a family member’s condition. There is usually no one within a typical healthcare system with both the expertise and supported time to walk a patient through various trial options. Recent enhancements to ClinicalTrials.gov are intended to further increase public transparency and availability of trial information [1], and some groups have created trial listings or other trial finding assistance [2, 3]. The searcher must weigh various search options that are often not optimized for lay audiences. These disconnects can lead to patients missing viable trial options. Trial participants may represent an alarmingly small subset, with many others winnowed out by various challenges
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