Patient recruitment

Where patients actually learn about clinical trials

By TrialNotice · Updated
Older couple reading a brochure together in a bright family practice waiting room
Short answerPatients who have joined trials most often learned about them online or from their own doctor, 22% and 16% in CISCRP's 2025 study. But patients prefer their doctor: 58% say they would start a trial search by asking their physician, while only 10% of people who never participated were ever asked. When patients are asked, many say yes: 55% of cancer patients offered a trial agreed.

How did trial participants find their study?

In CISCRP's 2025 Perceptions and Insights study, participants most often learned about their trial online (22%) or from their own doctor (16%). Among people who prefer to hear about studies online, social media was the top choice, with Facebook named most often (Citeline summary of CISCRP 2025).

Where do patients want to hear about trials?

From their doctor. In CISCRP's 2017 study of 12,427 people, 58% said they would begin a search for a clinical trial by asking their doctor, yet only 10% of people who had never participated had been asked to join a study (CISCRP). And 95% said it is important for their regular doctor to be aware of studies (CISCRP).

58%
would start a trial search by asking their doctor
10%
of people who never participated were ever asked
55%
of cancer patients offered a trial agreed

Do patients say yes when asked?

Often. In a study of nearly 10,000 cancer patients, 55% agreed to take part when offered a trial (Healio, summarizing Unger et al.). In Parkinson's disease, 80% of patients were at least somewhat likely to participate, but fewer than 10% had enrolled (PMC, citing the Michael J. Fox Foundation).

What does this mean for research sites?

The biggest gap is between where patients want to hear about trials and where they actually do. Online ads reach people who are already searching. Physician outreach reaches the much larger group who would say yes if their doctor mentioned a study. Sites that work both channels cover both groups. See physician referrals vs Facebook ads.

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 TrialNotice

Sources

  1. Citeline, Patient Recruitment Pulse (Jan 2026) on the CISCRP 2025 Perceptions and Insights Study
  2. CISCRP, 2017 Perceptions and Insights Study: Decision Making Process
  3. CISCRP, Highlights from the 2017 Perceptions and Insights Study
  4. Healio, "More than 20% of patients participate in cancer research" (summary of Unger et al.)
  5. "Optimizing participant recruitment and retention in clinical studies by hearing the voice of persons with Parkinson's," PMC (citing the Michael J. Fox Foundation)

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