How We Operate

Link Clinical works with pharmaceutical and medical device companies to help increase enrollment into their clinical trials. Faster enrollment means significant savings.

We contract with a client and provide consultants with expertise in the clinical trial field. These consultants function as Secondary Screeners™ and complete in depth medical screening to viable potential study participants, after candidates have made it past the initial online patient recruitment platform.

Ideally, our team is brought in at the beginning of a clinical trial and utilized from start up, but can be brought in as a rescue effort for clinical trials that have already started but are struggling with enrollment.

The process produces vetted candidates who are ready to move forward in the clinical trial screening process to the study centers for further evaluation.

In most instances, Link is engaged to:

  • Interview potential study candidates

  • Manage documentation of preliminary medical history

  • Communicate information to site coordinators to ensure effective and streamlined screening processes.

  • Provide regular updates to sponsor on screening progress, patterns and issues.

  • Assist site coordinators in managing online tracking tools (Patient Recruitment Systems).


How do Link Consultants function as Secondary Screeners (SS)™?

A SS specializes in patient recruitment with an emphasis on secondary (in depth) patient screening. The SS acts as a liaison with the Sponsor company. Together, they will develop relationships with clinical trial investigators and research site staff to facilitate recruitment of subjects in pharmaceutical and medical device trials in partnership with a patient recruitment agency.  The SS will work in conjunction with the company sponsor and clinical research associates (CRAs) to ensure that investigators and site staff have a thorough understanding of the trial’s eligibility criteria. Particular attention will be given to assessing the medical history of pre-screened candidates (based on Protocol defined Inclusion/Exclusion criteria) to increase the quality of  subjects referred to the study sites to move forward in the clinical trial process. These repeated interactions will help ensure that the trial remains “top of mind” with the principle investigators and study site staff.

What is our role?

The role of the SS involves patient education, working as a liaison between the sponsor company and their study sites. They also assist with communications between the sponsor, the sites and the patient recruitment marketing company. The SS possesses the necessary background to jump right in and get started moving the study enrollment forward. The SS refines the service as to provide more focused goals. The SS also has extensive knowledge of the patient recruitment marketing systems and can use this platform as an effective means of communicating with the sites on each individual patient. Examples of Secondary Screener™ responsibilities include:

  • patient recruitment

  • participating in monthly conference calls between sponsor, site study coordinators and patient recruitment marketing company.

  • working with Sponsor and patient recruitment marketing companies to refine pre-screen scripts as needed to provide for more eligible referrals

  • sharing tips on recruitment/retention with sites regarding what works and what doesn't as patterns from phone screens emerge

  • participating in CRC/PI meetings as scheduled by Sponsor

What is the key benefit of using an experienced SS such as Link?

A Secondary Screener™ will identify stronger study candidates which will provide opportunity for meeting enrollment goals sooner, thus saving money in the long term.