Key Considerations for Social Media Recruitment Platforms

Abstract

This article analyzes successful features of social media–based websites in the context of clinical trial recruitment. From the perspective of researchers, the use of social media is thought to enhance efficiency, ease of accessible stats on completed trials, data that better reflect the patient experience, and communication. Patients stand to gain efficient access levels in terms of a website’s navigation and content, privacy controls, information drawn from a wide range of sources, and a portal of communication to clinical trial experts. Examined is how various websites successfully address some of these wish list items, how some institutions have expanded recruitment efforts through electronic platforms, and how these solutions might be extrapolated into a social media–based clinical trials site.