Atopic Dermatitis

120

Conditions

700

Trials Completed

Countries

Increase in Randomizations

17600

Patients Enrolled

64% More Patients Randomized Per Month: Increasing Enrollment Across an Existing Site Network

At a Glance

64% increase

in average patients randomized per month

72 patients

randomized through AutoCruitment referrals

5 months saved

Saved approximately more than 5 months on the enrollment timeline

The Challenge

The Atopic Dermatitis Study needed to accelerate patient recruitment across a large U.S. site network while maximizing the performance of the sites already participating in the study.

The challenge was patient volume had to be distributed according to each site’s ability to manage referrals and move patients through the enrollment process.

At peak recruitment, the campaign generated as many as 323 qualified referrals in a single week. Managing that level of demand required close coordination with participating sites so patient volume did not overwhelm site teams or create unnecessary delays in follow-up.

The opportunity was to increase enrollment productivity across the existing site network without relying on additional sites to create the needed recruitment capacity.

The Approach

AutoCruitment combined large-scale direct-to-patient recruitment with active Site Engagement and Patient Engagement support to help participating sites convert patient interest into study enrollment.

With a layered approach, patient qualification happened before referral. The online screener filtered out 86.10% of patients who did not meet screening requirements, helping narrow the population progressing to participating sites.

The recruitment strategy included:

Campaigns customized around individual site abilities and preferences
Continual communication between AutoCruitment Site Engagement and participating sites to help maintain manageable referral volumes
Individualized Patient Outreach plans based on each site's needs
Patient Engagement support to contact patients, maintain motivation, provide appointment reminders, and help reschedule missed appointments
Ongoing campaign adjustments based on site capacity and performance
A "Great Sites" sub-campaign designed to provide additional recruitment support to sites exceeding expectations
Weekly escalation and communication between AutoCruitment and study teams to help resolve site issues quickly

Rather than treating every site the same, recruitment volume and support could be adjusted based on each site’s ability to manage and convert incoming patients.

The Results

AutoCruitment’s patient recruitment and enrollment efforts contributed 72 randomized patients to the Atopic Dermatitis Study.

With AutoCruitment patients included, average monthly randomizations increased from approximately 12 patients per month to 20 patients per month, representing a 64% increase in monthly randomization pace.

The impact extended across the existing site network. AutoCruitment supported 80 sites with the highest-enrolling site randomizing around 15 AutoCruitment referrals.

Based on the enrollment pace achieved with AutoCruitment support compared with site enrollment without AutoCruitment patients, the campaign was estimated to have saved 5.79 months on the enrollment timeline.

By pairing scalable patient acquisition with active Site and Patient Engagement, AutoCruitment helped the study generate more consents and randomizations from its existing site network rather than relying solely on additional sites to increase enrollment capacity.

Learnings for Future Studies

Site capacity should shape recruitment volume

High patient volume only creates value when sites have the capacity to act on it. Continual communication with participating sites helped AutoCruitment adjust recruitment based on individual site needs and maintain a more manageable flow of patient referrals.

High-performing sites can be intentionally amplified

Sites demonstrated different abilities to manage and convert patient volume. The Great Sites sub-campaign provided a way to direct additional recruitment support toward sites already demonstrating strong performance, helping make better use of existing site capacity.

Patient support should continue after referral

Generating a qualified referral is only one step in the enrollment process. Patient Engagement support helped maintain contact with patients, reinforce appointment attendance, sustain motivation, and reschedule no-shows so more patients had the opportunity to continue through the funnel.

Rapid communication supports execution

Weekly escalation between AutoCruitment, Syneos, and Eli Lilly enabled site issues to be surfaced and addressed quickly. For high-volume recruitment programs, maintaining clear communication between the recruitment partner, CRO, sponsor, and sites can be critical to sustaining enrollment momentum.

Applying Learnings to Future Dermatology Studies

Dermatology studies often rely on patients accurately assessing the severity or extent of a visible condition before they reach the site, which can create a gap between self-reported eligibility and clinical assessment.

For future dermatology studies, AutoCruitment can introduce visual pre-screening earlier in the recruitment journey to help identify potentially better-qualified patients before referral. This may include video pre-screening with trained registered nurses or patient engagement team members or through secure SMS-based image review, where appropriate and approved for the study.

These additional qualification steps can help:

Validate visible study criteria that may be difficult for patients to assess on their own
Identify potential eligibility concerns before a patient is referred to a site
Provide sites with better-qualified patients for further evaluation
Reduce the burden associated with reviewing patients who are unlikely to meet visible eligibility requirements
Create a more efficient path from initial screening to site-level evaluation

The specific approach would be tailored to the protocol, indication, privacy requirements, and sponsor-approved recruitment process.

Ready to Get More From Your Existing Site Network?

Increasing enrollment does not always require adding more sites. AutoCruitment combines scalable patient recruitment with Site and Patient Engagement to help study teams generate qualified patient volume, support site performance, and move more patients through the enrollment journey.

Talk to our team about your study