Dr. Leen Kawas is a scientist and pharmacist who understands the critical nature of patient clinical trials.
She has witnessed how clinical trials can go wrong and have a negative impact on everyone involved.
According to Dr. Leen Kawas, the biggest problem she has observed is the failure to obtain patient feedback early enough to make a difference.
Further reading: Leen Kawas, Athira Pharma Inc: Profile and Biography – Bloomberg Markets
Too Little, Too Late
Receiving patient input early and often while developing the protocol for a study is essential to its ultimate success.
From what Dr. Kawas has observed, too many clinical trials proceed without requesting feedback from patients and other stakeholders until the study is nearing its end.
She sees this as a missed opportunity because those same people could have shared their experiences to help guide the development of more effective protocols.
Early patient feedback provides critical data in these areas:
Conduct: Early feedback gives researchers the opportunity to recruit the most qualified people for clinical trials because they have input on how to reach them.
High-quality study conduct is also integral when it comes to reporting data and overseeing the study.
Operations: Receiving feedback from all stakeholders early on allows study organizers to create practical operations and avoid disruptions later in the study.
A common example is patients quitting the study because they were not uniquely qualified in the first place.
Patients also need to feel like someone cares about their experience to have the motivation to continue and comply with all requirements.
Results: Dr. Kawas feels that clinical trials are most effective when researchers ask the right questions from the start. The benefit of seeking patient input early is that it enables organizers to correct course for a better outcome.
While Dr. Kawas has many other pieces of practical advice for clinical trial stakeholders, she recommends improving the patient feedback process and building on the success from there.
Connect to Leen Kawas on Linkedin.com
Learn more about Kawas: https://www.emikeflynn.com/index.php/blog/flynn-s-harp/prominent-athira-investors-remain-strong-supporters-of-ex-ceo-kawas