Let's talk medical research

October is Health Literacy Month. Health literacy refers to how well patients understand medical information from doctors. It plays a critical role in whether or not a patient receives the right care for them. 

One in five adults in the U.S. experience a mental health condition each year. Of those, only 43.3% received treatment last year. This World Mental Health Day, we’re highlighting the importance of both awareness and treatment for the millions of people struggling with symptoms.

Of all of the elements of a clinical trial, optimizing patient recruitment may make the most significant impact on trial timelines. Even if you're meeting your recruitment goals – a rare accomplishment, to say the least – trials and budgets always benefit from better efficiency. 

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) flare-ups can last for days or weeks. Symptoms of a flare may include urgent or frequent bowel movements, diarrhea, blood in stools, and abdominal pain or cramping. Because these symptoms can also be caused by something other than UC, it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether you're experiencing a flare-up. 

Clinical research organizations sometimes create surveys and share general statistics about clinical trial participation. But every patient is different, and overarching stats don't tell the full story.

The best clinical research blogs don’t just cover the latest news in the industry – they also take an informed position on how we can improve the research process. We count on the ten blogs below for information that’s both useful for clinical research professionals, and makes us think, too. Follow them on social media or subscribe to their newsletters or blog feeds to make sure you’re always up ...

Recruitment rate for clinical trials is calculated by multiplying the number of sites and randomized patients per site by the number of months of recruitment time. This number can also be reverse-engineered, starting with the number of randomized patients a trial needs.

Alexis Smith had eczema as an infant, but had lived a mostly itch-free childhood until hitting puberty at 12. That's when her symptoms came back.

Crohn's disease is painful because of inflammation in the digestive tract leads to symptoms such as abdominal cramping, severe diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. Some people with Crohn's also experience joint pain, which can occur alongside digestive flares. Joint swelling, or arthritis, is the most common complication of Crohn's disease that takes place outside of the digestive tract. 

If you've heard any statistics around clinical trial recruitment, it's most likely this one: approximately 80% of clinical trials are delayed or closed because of problems with recruitment. Additional troubling statistics include: