Use of Social Media and its Potential for Subject Recruitment in Clinical Trials.

Effective research subject recruitment is crucial for clinical trial success. Low enrollment prolongs clinical trials and delays researchers from determining the safety and efficacy of new medical devices or drugs. The goal of this thesis was to survey the patient community at the University of North Texas Health Science Center to determine their views and knowledge on social media and the effectiveness of social media as a potential platform for subject recruitment. The research questions were aimed at identifying factors that motivate potential research subjects to participate in clinical trials. The results showed individuals were less likely to participate in a clinical trial via social media advertisements. The preferred recruitment method selected was a physician’s referral across all of the groups compared. The conclusion proposes that a physician’s participation is essential in recruiting subjects for clinical trials. The current study was limited by a single center cohort. Future studies will require a secondary subject pool.