Increasing Knowledge of Patients in Clinical Trials Through New Means of Communication

Introduction: The Internet can be an efficient resource for research departments to utilize. Because of this, an Internet portal was created for the research department under the current Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth’s website. The portal is expected to educate current research patients and the general public, support patient involvement in their medical care, encourage patient communication, and improve the overall outcomes for the studies taking place. Objective: The main goal of this practicum project is to determine the effectiveness of the research portal in educating patients. Method: An online research portal and patient questionnaire was created in order to complete the project. The surveys were administered to current research patients, and the answers were analyzed using the chi‐square method, including the Mantel‐Haenszel chi‐square test. Results: The data analysis determined that the research portal was effective in increasing patient knowledge, as well as patient involvement in their medical care and communication with others. It was also decided that the portal is viewed as an accurate source of information. Additionally, demographical factors were analyzed, and it was determined that estimated annual household income does effect the way some patients answered a few of the questions. Conclusion: The portal is an effective method for the research department to utilize, although there are a few improvements that can be made.