Why Clinics Love Participating in Folia Programs
Folia Health’s decentralized research studies leverage a robust and unique hybrid recruitment approach. By leveraging a multi-channel engagement strategy, we ensure diversity in the participant pool in efficient timelines. In a recent rare disease study, over 80 patients were recruited in less than 3 months!
Clinics are vital partners in the success of Folia Health’s programs. In this blog post, we share four reasons why clinics love to refer patients and caregivers to participate in our research programs.
#1: Easy participation by underrepresented communities:
"We are in a rural state, and it helps to have something people can do remotely."
One of the key benefits of our programs is that they are conducted remotely. This is especially important for clinics and sites located in rural areas, where patients may have limited access to healthcare facilities. Folia allows patients to participate in research programs from the comfort of their own homes, which is much more convenient and less burdensome. It’s a win-win for sponsors, since this allows for underrepresented populations to contribute valuable insights.
#2: Straightforward enrollment and consent process:
"We enjoyed the ease of getting our patients involved by only giving handouts and referring them to the study. A lot of our patients were also excited about the opportunity because they haven't gotten to participate in a study before. This also gave us a chance as a research team to go in an re-introduce ourselves and help build more relationships with our patients"
Folia programs are designed to be easy to enroll in and consent for: we use a central IRB and all consent is done in-app. This is a significant benefit for clinics and sites, reducing the burden on healthcare staff.
#3: Minimal in-person additional study visits:
"There was increased interest due to minimal in-clinic study visits and potential opportunity to reduce care burden. They liked being monitored while reducing care."
"Many were happy that they could participate in a study where they had no additional in-person visits"
Another benefit of Folia programs is that they require minimal in-person clinical study visits. This can be especially important for patients who have mobility issues or are otherwise unable to travel to healthcare facilities frequently. This also reduces the burden on healthcare staff at busy sites.
#4: Data ownership for participants:
"If we had more of these studies, more patients would be getting involved in their care"
Finally, our clinic partners often receive positive feedback from patients and caregivers on the technology. Participants can see and graph their own health data in real time, which allows for more frequent and accurate self-reported data collection than traditional methods, making participation more engaging and convenient.
At Folia, we believe that what matters most to patients, matters most to research. By partnering with us, sponsors can continue to improve the lives of patients with complex conditions and advance the comprehensive understanding of disease burden and novel therapy impact, while meeting patients and clinics where they are.