OnCo
ideasIdea

Lay trial navigators funded per centre, evaluated in a randomised trial

A trained non-clinical guide who explains trials, arranges logistics and keeps in touch could make the difference between a patient hearing about a trial and actually joining one.

Fund one lay navigator per 300 new cancer patients at community and safety-net hospitals, with a defined role: identify potentially eligible patients from matching tools, explain trials in plain language, coordinate screening logistics and follow up. Patient navigation improves timeliness of cancer care; the specific effect on trial enrolment has small positive studies and deserves a definitive randomised test.

Hypothesis
Patients randomised to a navigator will have at least a 50 percent higher trial enrolment rate than usual care, with the largest effect in minority and low-income patients.
Rationale
Enrolment fails on logistics and trust more than on eligibility. Navigators address both and are far cheaper than clinical staff.
What would test it
Individually randomised trial at six hospitals, 3,000 newly diagnosed patients, primary outcome enrolment in any interventional trial within 12 months.
Maturity
early clinical
Who has to act
philanthropy
Cost to try
Medium ($1M to $50M)
Years to first evidence
2
Bottlenecks it attacks

Connected

4top

Pages like this

not linked directly; found by shared links