What does this mean to you? Early in my career while heading up Infectious Disease for a well-known reference laboratory, my CEO and mentor taught me that our #1 priority is “patient care”. As I advanced my career, growing through the ranks of the drug and diagnostic clinical trial industry, I have always taken that to heart.
Even today as an executive, I am passionate about the patient experience and journey to ensure new treatments are safe and effective for all patients. The involvement of diverse patient populations in the planning and execution of clinical trials is critical to achieving clinical success and improving therapies globally.
Isn’t the real goal and endpoint the patient in our complex drug, device, diagnostic development industry? The “patient” I am speaking about is your Spouse, your Child, your Parent, Grandparent, or your Best Friend. Reality is, our loved ones are the patients. When illness hits our families, it becomes very personal and painful.
Why am I mentioning this? I am personalizing this because every data management point, every quality monitoring report, every SAE reported or unreported, every weekly call with your Sponsor, every recruitment and retention plan --- they all matter to the successful conduct of a trial. Details matter, science matters, business goals matter, but front and foremost is the patient. As you conduct your daily duties, are you just checking the box to get the task completed or are you connecting the dots between the science and improving patient therapies? Do you care about taking the extra time to understand the questions to ask to prevent additional queries, and are you efficiently reviewing incoming data? When you are onsite, are you asking additional questions that can impact getting a patient enrolled or retained in a trial, and are you taking the extra time needed to build a relationship with the site director or the investigator? I could list hundreds of details that take extra time and care.
Linical is rescuing clinical trials right now where companies have simply “checked the box” and fulfilled their job requirements for the day or week. What if we all spent a little more time “connecting the dots” between the task and the science and give that extra effort that can and does make a difference for a patient journey pre or post approval. Budgets are always tight, but I rarely experience a Sponsor want to put cost above quality.
We know that clinical trials help people live longer, healthier lives, so make a difference in your daily routine and personalize your important job duties. Because when it comes to friends and family “patients”, we all care a little deeper.
Tackling these challenges is a pivotal aspect of enhancing the caliber of clinical trials and ultimately improving the outcomes for the countless individuals suffering from metabolic disorders, both presently and in the future. At Linical, we are honored to be an integral part of this demanding yet exhilarating therapeutic area and remain committed to playing our part in aiding millions of patients globally.
Author:
Clareece West
Chief Commercial Officer - Linical