Unlock Faster, More Inclusive Recruitment With Decentralised Clinical Trials

Across the UK, clinical research is facing continued mounting pressures around recruitment and retention. Many studies continue to fall short of enrolment targets, while others struggle to maintain participant engagement through the full trial duration. As patient expectations evolve and daily routines become more demanding, traditional site-based models alone are not always best positioned to deliver the level of accessibility and performance modern trials require.

Decentralised clinical trials (DCTs) are a potential patient-focused response to these challenges. The power of decentralisation lies in the fact that is not a single method but rather a flexible set of tools ranging from in-home visits and community clinics to satellite sites, virtual appointments, and remote monitoring. These can be used to fully decentralize a trial, or to create hybrid trials – cherry-picking the DCT elements that will be most effective and blending them with site-based models to create a bespoke solution.

When these DCT elements are integrated thoughtfully, and with expertise, they create more adaptive, resilient trial designs that provide greater access to broader participant population pools and provide higher quality, easily accessible data. And patients are increasingly showing a preference for these models, highlighting a clear need for trial designs that reflect real-world lifestyles and remove unnecessary barriers.

For researchers and clinicians seeking to improve clinical trial recruitment, strengthen retention, and build studies that are genuinely patient-centric, decentralised approaches offer a clear and actionable path forward.

Partner with VCTC - together, we can design trials built around the needs of real patients.