How to refer a patient to a clinical trial

Referring a patient to a clinical trial is one of the most valuable things a clinician can do for someone whose condition is not responding to standard care, who has limited approved options, or who simply wants to contribute to research. Yet most referrals never happen, not because clinicians object to research, but because the process of finding a study and making the connection has traditionally been slow and opaque.

The first step is identifying a potentially suitable study. Trials are listed on public registries, but registry entries are written for regulators rather than busy clinicians, and checking eligibility across dozens of listings takes time most consultations do not have. Purpose-built search tools that filter by condition, location and recruitment status make this far quicker, and plain-language study summaries let you assess relevance in minutes rather than hours.

Before referring, review the key inclusion and exclusion criteria against what you know of the patient: diagnosis and stage, prior and current treatments, significant comorbidities and current medications. You do not need to confirm full eligibility, that is the research team's job at screening, but filtering out clear mismatches saves your patient a wasted visit and preserves their confidence in the idea of research.

Raise the option with the patient as you would any other treatment decision: explain what the study is investigating, that participation is voluntary, that they can withdraw at any time, and that declining will not affect their care. Patients consistently report that a recommendation from their own clinician is the single most influential factor in deciding to explore a trial, so a balanced conversation matters more than a perfect one.

The referral itself is usually simple: share the patient's contact details and relevant clinical context with the research team, with the patient's consent. The research team then contacts the patient, answers their questions, conducts pre-screening and, if the study looks like a fit, invites them to a screening visit where informed consent is taken and eligibility is formally confirmed.

After the referral, you remain the patient's treating clinician. Good research teams keep referring clinicians informed of the outcome and of any study findings relevant to ongoing care, and study participation runs alongside, not instead of, your management. If you would like a simpler pathway, Clinrol lets healthcare professionals search active studies and submit a secure referral in a few minutes, with the patient supported at every step.