The integration of digital technology is transforming clinical research, improving the efficiency of trial design and execution. A key innovation in this space is the digital waiting room, which leverages real-world data (RWD) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the critical “last mile” of a trial—when sites are activated, and patient recruitment begins.
Effective recruitment depends on quickly identifying and connecting eligible patients with investigators. Digital waiting rooms help study teams overcome this challenge by using data-driven recruitment methods to identify eligible patients within their existing population—whether they qualify for a trial now or are likely to in the near future. By streamlining patient identification, digital waiting rooms are improving recruitment strategies and enhancing the overall success of clinical trials.
RWD, AI, and the Digital Waiting Room Advantage
Traditional patient recruitment methods often rely on static, one-time assessments of inclusion/exclusion criteria, which fail to account for the dynamic nature of diseases and evolving patient health.
At TriNetX, we go beyond identifying patients based on fixed criteria—we focus on identifying them within critical windows of opportunity.
Leveraging AI and machine learning (ML), we help our clients predict which patients are likely to progress into trial eligibility weeks to months before it happens. This game-changing capability uses electronic health records (EHRs) to identify patients on the cusp of meeting eligibility criteria. These patients are then placed in a digital waiting room, where their health is continuously monitored, ensuring they are ready to be enrolled when the time is right.
TriNetX: Enabling Real-World Success Stories
The success of digital waiting rooms is already evident in the measurable benefits they deliver for TriNetX clients. For example, recruiting patients for trials involving complex conditions like Lupus often presents significant challenges. Patients must meet strict clinical criteria and, in many cases, be in an active disease flare—factors that can lead to delayed enrollment timelines.
By leveraging TriNetX for patient identification, one client proactively identified potential patients, placed them in a digital waiting room, and enabled study coordinators to monitor and contact patients as they met criteria.
This strategy has yielded encouraging results. Across 11 sites and seven studies, the team identified 103 potentially eligible patients. Recently, two patients were successfully scheduled for screening at one healthcare organization, with one already on track for enrollment. These tangible results highlight the power of RWD and AI in addressing recruitment barriers and accelerating enrollment in clinical trials.
A Gateway to Smarter Clinical Trials
The successes achieved through digital waiting rooms illustrate their transformative potential for all those involved in clinical research. They open the door to smarter, more efficient clinical trials in several key ways:
- Accelerated Recruitment: By creating a pre-screened pool of patients actively monitored for eligibility, digital waiting rooms reduce recruitment delays and accelerate trial timelines.
- Improved Patient Retention: Maintaining engagement with patients in digital waiting rooms fosters stronger relationships and reduces dropout rates, leading to more successful trials.
- Optimized Site Resource Allocation: Study teams can focus resources on patients most likely to become eligible, minimizing waste and maximizing operational efficiency.
Amping Up Patient Inclusion and Engagement
For patients, digital waiting rooms represent a new era of personalized, patient-centric clinical research. This approach offers significant benefits, including:
- Early Detection and Intervention: By identifying patients at risk of disease progression, digital waiting rooms enable earlier access to treatments or preventive measures, potentially improving outcomes.
- Expanded Access to Clinical Trials: Patients who may qualify in the future are identified early, reducing missed opportunities and broadening trial access.
- Reduced Patient Burden: Automated eligibility assessments simplify the process for patients, eliminating repetitive screenings and saving valuable time.
By combining the operational advantages of digital waiting rooms with a commitment to patient inclusion, TriNetX is creating a future where clinical trials are not only more efficient but also more accessible and impactful for all stakeholders.
What’s Next
As AI and ML technologies advance, the potential of digital waiting rooms will continue to expand. Predictive models could identify patients at even earlier stages of disease or predict treatment responses, opening new possibilities for clinical research.
That’s where TriNetX is headed. By leveraging the power of AI and RWD, we’ll continue to help researchers accelerate medical innovation, bring new treatments to market faster, and improve patient outcomes globally.
About Justin North
Over the last decade, Justin has led dozens of software solutions from idea to commercial release with companies including Phillips Healthcare, goBalto, and Oracle. He brings a deep background in data science and clinical research to his role as Director of Product Management at TriNetX, where he has overseen the development of products for trial design and feasibility.
