Maximize Study Enrollment: A Referral Follow-Up Protocol for Clinical Trial Sites

ClinicalConnection’s online referral service is designed to make patient recruitment easier, faster, and more targeted for clinical trial sites. But receiving a referral alert is only the beginning. The real impact comes from what happens next.

To fully capitalize on referral interest, your site team needs to act quickly and follow a consistent, multi-channel outreach process. Based on best practices from high-performing research sites, here’s what works best when engaging referrals from ClinicalConnection.

1. Respond Immediately to Referral Alerts

Timing is critical. Research shows that contacting leads within 15 minutes of their inquiry significantly improves engagement and enrollment success. When potential participants are still actively seeking help, they are more likely to respond to your outreach.

We understand that immediate follow-up isn’t always possible. However, a timely response is essential to maintaining interest and momentum in the enrollment funnel.

Action Step: As soon as you receive a referral alert, either by email or through your ClinicalConnection portal, begin your outreach workflow.

2. Use a Multi-Touch, Multi-Channel Outreach Strategy

Relying on a single phone call or email is rarely effective. Candidates may miss messages, screen calls, or delay their response. A structured and respectful follow-up sequence across multiple channels is key to increasing conversion from referral to enrolled participant.

Recommended Contact Sequence:

Day 1

• Send a personalized email
• Send a text message (SMS)
• Make an initial phone call

Days 2–5

• Leave a voicemail if the initial call wasn’t answered
• Attempt another call at a different time of day
• Resend the email, ideally with a new subject line
• Follow up with a second text message

Week 2

• Make one final phone call or send a follow-up message
• If there’s still no response, mark the referral as inactive, but retain their contact information for future studies

3. Equip Your Team With a Clear, Reassuring Script

When making first contact, clarity and professionalism go a long way. Because ClinicalConnection is a trusted name, referencing it in your messaging helps establish legitimacy and trust from the start.

To support your team, consider incorporating versions of the following scripts into your outreach templates.

Example Phone or Text Message Script for Coordinators:

“Hi [Patient Name], this is [Your Name] from [Site Name or Study Title]. You recently submitted a form through ClinicalConnection to learn more about a clinical study related to [Condition]. I’m reaching out to follow up and share more information with you to determine whether you may qualify.”

[If they’re interested:]
“Great! I’d like to ask you a few brief questions to begin the screening process. After that, we can discuss the next steps.”

[If they say now isn’t a good time:]
“No problem. When would be a good time to reconnect? I want to make sure you get all the details you need to make an informed decision.”

Example Email Template:

Subject: You expressed interest in a clinical trial – let’s connect

Body:
Hi [First Name],
We received your contact information through ClinicalConnection regarding a potential study opportunity for [Condition]. I’d be happy to speak with you to see if you may be eligible.

Please reply to this message or call [Your Phone Number] to schedule a time.

Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Research Site Name]
[Contact Info]

4. Stay Organized to Support Follow-Through and Enrollment

Initial contact is just the beginning. Many sites lose strong candidates not because of poor outreach, but because they lack visibility into the referral status.

Use Your ClinicalConnection Dashboard

The Referrals tab in your ClinicalConnection dashboard allows you to track each contact throughout your workflow. Updating statuses helps your team:

• Prioritize follow-up with engaged candidates
• Avoid duplicate outreach
• Identify stalled or dropped referrals
• Monitor overall performance across studies

Keeping statuses updated also supports ROI tracking and internal performance reviews.

5. Nurture Candidates from Interest to Enrollment

Interest alone doesn’t guarantee enrollment. Successful coordinators actively guide candidates through the pre-screening process and help maintain engagement along the way.

Best practices include:

• Set expectations early: Clearly outline next steps during your first call, such as phone screening, required documents, or upcoming visits.
• Send reminders: Use SMS, email, or phone reminders for appointments. Include practical details like parking and who they’ll be speaking with.
• Maintain momentum: Schedule check-ins instead of leaving next steps open-ended.
• Re-engage drop-offs: A short follow-up after a missed appointment can often rekindle interest.
• Be empathetic: Many candidates feel uncertain or overwhelmed. A supportive tone makes a meaningful difference.

Final Takeaways for Site Teams

• Respond to ClinicalConnection referrals as quickly as possible.
• Use a structured, multi-channel outreach strategy.
• Reference ClinicalConnection to build trust and legitimacy.
• Support staff with scripts and clear outreach timelines.
• Use your dashboard to track progress and ROI.
• Actively nurture referrals from initial contact to enrollment.

If your team isn’t seeing the engagement or conversion rates you expect, reach out to ClinicalConnection. We’re here to help assess your referral follow-up process and identify opportunities for improvement.