Improving patient experience doesn't come at cost of site burden Mural Health says

OSP managed to have a chat with Jason Dong, co-founder & co-CEO at Mural Health to explore further what the company hoped to achieve at this year's event. 

OSP: What will Mural Health bring to DIA?​

JD: We want to show the global research community that improving patient experience doesn’t have to come at the cost of increased site burden – that it is possible to implement consumer-level, easy to use, preference-based technological solutions that enhance engagement without asking investigators to spend more time on the tasks that take them away from patients, such as admin and platform training.

We may be a newly formed company, but we are not lacking in industry experience. Between our three founders, we have worked in clinical trial technology for 30+ years. During DIA Global 2023, we want to share that deep understanding with colleagues from across the sector and be part of the collaborative future of clinical research.

OSP: What do you think you will take away from the event?​

JD: Our mission is to make it as easy as possible for people to take part in clinical trials. To achieve this, we are focusing on building strategic partnerships that integrate our next-generation payment solutions with existing market-leading support platforms and working to revolutionize technology solutions.

At DIA Global, we will deepen our understanding of the existing landscape and the current hot topics and identify and connect with potential partners who share our collaborative mission.

OSP: What key tracks presented at DIA Global Annual Meeting 2023 are of particular note for you and why?​

JD: Participant experience is at the heart of our business, making the patient engagement track a must for us. There will also be a session on how stakeholders can work together to promote meaningful involvement, which speaks to our collaborative ethos.

We are also interested in the clinical trials and clinical operations track, which will look at how to optimize enrolment. Our solutions are designed to increase recruitment and retention, so we’ll be keen to hear any new insights that we can embed into our daily work.

OSP: DIA talks of the ‘issues of today and the possibilities of tomorrow’ – how do you view those and do events like DIA help address them? ​

JD: The shift to patient centric DCTs has brought with it a growing array of clinical trial tech companies, all professing to offer the best patient experience. This focus on patient engagement is fantastic, as looking after participants makes people feel invested in the study and reduces the chance of drop outs. But there is a growing realisation that this approach can put additional pressure on already over-stretched sites. This needs to be addressed, because if sites are unwilling to take part, we won’t have any participants to retain in the first place.

Balancing the needs of the participants and the sites will require a sector-wide approach that embraces collaboration and the sharing of best practice. Partnership working among tech providers, for example, can deliver the very best patient experience, while avoiding site overwhelm.

Events like DIA Global, which brings the community together to work on such challenges as a team, provide us with an opportunity to make a real difference.