New Text Messaging Services to Support Clinical Research*

“Mobile device outreach is the future of patient recruitment, due to the growth and convenience of this rapid-response medium,” said Jeff Clausing, Axiom Vice President. According to NielsenMobile, a service of the Nielsen Company, a typical US mobile subscriber sends or receives an average of 357 text messages per month - 4,284 messages per year. Additionally, roughly 73% of mobile users already have a paid text messaging plan - a number that's grown by 250% annually for the past two years.

This explosive growth likely comes from the use of text messaging in pop culture through voting for televisions shows like American Idol or participating in a poll on a cable news network. It is becoming a common way to connect with family members, as well: with kids growing up in a “mobile generation,” text messaging has become a convenient way for parents to quickly “talk” to their kids.

Axiom is taking advantage of this growing trend by implementing text messaging services as part of its comprehensive patient recruitment and retention programs for clinical research studies. Text messaging services are just the latest addition to a vast portfolio of strategies that Axiom offers in support of Top 20 pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations and healthcare organizations.

“Clinical studies are an important way to advance research. In an era when healthcare is one of the nation's leading topics of conversation, we believe clinical studies should be accessible to as many people as possible,” continued Julie Oimoen, Project Manager at Axiom. “We can best accomplish this by allowing potential participants to respond by using the medium with which they're most comfortable. For many candidates in today's world, that means text messaging.”

Axiom is able to identify pre-qualified audiences for numerous ailments and diseases ranging from asthma to adolescent schizophrenia. Text messages can be used to directly communicate with these pre-qualified audiences to gauge interest in participating in a clinical study that may help minimize symptoms or treat the disease. These services can also retain participants through support services like appointment reminders and treatment instructions. Text messaging provides a convenient, direct way to get in touch with pre-qualified potential patients quickly and efficiently.