Evaluating the impact of Clinical Trials On-line on clinical trial awareness and accrual

Clinical trials are essential for understanding the effects of different cancer treatment approaches and the value of their interaction. A prerequisite for completion of a clinical trial is the accrual of an adequate number of patients. Although surveys of the general public have shown widespread support for the concept of clinical trials, it is widely reported that only 1-3% of the 1.2 million patients diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year are enrolled. Explaining clinical trials to patients and their families, remembering active trials to a particular malignancy, and paper based distribution of clinical trial information have been identified among several major obstacles to enrolment. Improved information distribution methods, heightened public awareness, and the dissemination of clinical trial synopses have been suggested as strategies to help overcome them. Based on an analysis of the barriers to clinical trial enrolment and the emergence of the Internet as part of a new paradigm in healthcare information delivery, City of Hope National Medical Center was motivated to develop a Web enabled database of oncology clinical trials information called Clinical Trials On-Line (CTOL). The article describes CTOL and the methods employed to assess its impact. A summary of the different types of interactions, inquiries, and outcomes generated by CTOL during its first 30 weeks of operation are presented. The quantitative and qualitative data suggest that CTOL is capable of making a positive contribution toward increased clinical trial awareness and accrual.