January 12, 2025
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Article

Improving Participant Recruitment in Clinical Trials: Comparative Analysis of Innovative Digital Platforms

Publicated to: JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH. 26 e60504- - 2024-12-18 26(), DOI: 10.2196/60504

Authors:

Bikou, Alexia Georgia; Deligianni, Elena; Dermiki-Gkana, Foteini; Liappas, Nikolaos; Terius-Padron, Jose Gabriel; Jaunsaras, Maria Eugenia Beltran; Cabrera-Umpierrez, Maria Fernanda; Kontogiorgis, Christos
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Affiliations

Democritus Univ Thrace, Dept Med, 6th kilometer Dragana, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid UPM, Super Tech Sch Telecommun Engineers, Life Supporting Technol LifeSTech, Madrid, Spain - Author

Abstract

Background: Pharmaceutical product development relies on thorough and costly clinical trials. Participant recruitment and monitoring can be challenging. The incorporation of cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence has revolutionized clinical research (particularly in the recruitment stage), enhanced secure data storage and analysis, and facilitated participant monitoring while protecting their personal information. Objective: This study aims to investigate the use of novel digital platformsand their features, such as e-recruitment, e-consent, and matching, aiming to optimize and expedite clinical research. Methods: A review with a systematic approach was conducted encompassing literature from January 2000 to October 2024. The MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were examined thoroughly using a customized search string. Inclusion criteria focused on digital platformsinvolving clinical trial recruitment phases that were in English and had international presence, scientific validation, regulatory approval, and no geographic limitations. Literature reviews and unvalidated digital platforms were excluded. The selected studies underwent meticulous screening by the research team, ensuring a thorough analysis of novel digital platformsand their use and features for clinical trials. Results: A total of 24 digital platforms were identified that supported clinical trial recruitment phases. In general, most of them (n=22, 80%) are headquartered and operating in the United States, providing a range of functionalities including electronic consent (n=14, 60% of the platforms), participant matching, and monitoring of patients' health status. These supplementary features enhance the overall effectiveness of the platforms in facilitating the recruitment process for clinical trials. The analysisand digital platform findings refer to a specific timeframe when the investigation took place, and a notable surge was observed in the adoption of these novel digital tools, particularly following the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusions: This study underscores the vital role of the identified digital platformsin clinical trials, aiding in recruitment, enhancing patient engagement, accelerating procedures, and personalizing vital sign monitoring. Despitetheir impact, challenges in accessibility, compatibility, and transparency require careful consideration. Addressing these challenges is crucial for optimizing digital tool integration into clinical research, allowing researchers to harness the benefits while managing the associated risks effectively.
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Keywords

Artificial intelligenceBlockchainClinical researchClinical trialsClinical trials as topicDigital platformsE -recruitmentE-recruitmentElectronic consenElectronic consentEnrollmentHumansInformed-consentOpportunitiePatient matchingPatient selection

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2024 there are still no calculated indicators, but in 2023, it was in position 12/188, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Health Care Sciences & Services. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2026-04-05:

  • WoS: 5
  • Scopus: 6
  • Europe PMC: 5
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-05:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 68.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 68 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 1.
  • The number of mentions on the social network Facebook: 1 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Greece; Macedonia.

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