How big is the Parkinson's participation gap?
According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, 80% of people with Parkinson's were at least somewhat likely to participate in research, yet fewer than 10% had actually enrolled in clinical studies (PMC). Willingness is not the problem. Connection is.
Which physicians should a Parkinson's site contact?
- General neurologists, who diagnose and manage most patients.
- Movement disorder specialists, who see complex and advanced cases.
- Primary care physicians, for early stage or newly diagnosed studies.
A Connecticut site focused on neurodegenerative disorders made community clinicians its top source of new patient referrals by prioritizing specialty physicians and reporting back on every referral (Applied Clinical Trials).
Why does screening matter so much in neurology?
Tufts CSDD found the average screen failure rate in CNS and neuroscience trials rose to 57%, up from 29.5% in 2012, compared with 36.3% across all therapeutic areas (Tufts CSDD via Applied Clinical Trials). Referring neurologists who understand your disease stage, medication, and imaging requirements send patients who are more likely to qualify.
Where else do Parkinson's patients find studies?
The Michael J. Fox Foundation's Fox Trial Finder lets volunteers search for studies and contact study teams directly, and sites can connect their trial to it and track volunteer referrals (Michael J. Fox Foundation). Use it alongside physician outreach, not instead of it.
What should a Parkinson's outreach plan include?
- The core specialists and relevant primary care physicians within realistic driving distance of the site.
- A one page summary with the diagnosis requirements, key exclusions, procedures, and visit schedule.
- A named coordinator contact, and a commitment to report back on every referral.
- Follow up by email and LinkedIn, prioritizing physicians who engaged.
See referral strategy by therapeutic area for other conditions.
Get your study in front of the right local physicians
TrialNotice builds a physician referral pipeline around one active study. We identify relevant local physicians within driving distance of your site, send study aligned direct mail, follow up by email and LinkedIn, track engagement with recipient level QR codes, and route warm responses into your site team's workflow.
Talk to TrialNoticeSources
- "Optimizing participant recruitment and retention in clinical studies by hearing the voice of persons with Parkinson's," PMC (citing the Michael J. Fox Foundation)
- Michael J. Fox Foundation, Study Recruitment and Patient Engagement (Fox Trial Finder)
- Applied Clinical Trials, "Building a Physician Referral Network: A Case Study"
- Applied Clinical Trials, "Can Recruitment and Retention Get Any Worse?" (Tufts CSDD screen failure study)
- "Predictors of physician referral for patient recruitment to Alzheimer disease clinical trials," Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, PubMed
