BBK Worldwide Makes Clinical Engagement Process Easier With Mobile Apps

SAN DIEGO and BOSTON, June 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- DIA 2014 50^th Annual Meeting -- BBK Worldwide, a leading clinical trial marketing firm, today unveiled two new mobile apps for patient and site engagement, My Clinical Study Buddy^SM and My Clinical Study Buddy^SM Protocol Pointers Edition. Available for Apple^® and Android^™ mobile phones and tablets, both apps are available today on the App Store^SM and Google Play^™ and are being demoed at this week's DIA 2014 50^th Annual Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, Calif., June 16-19 at BBK booth #2309.

BBK's My Clinical Study Buddy^SM helps pharmaceutical companies optimize the millions of dollars spent on patient recruitment advertising annually by keeping patients engaged and more actively involved throughout the study. My Clinical Study Buddy^SM provides enrolled patients with everything they need relating to their specific study, including appointment reminders and visit details, resources and videos, and maps and site contact links, readily available and at their finger-tips. By leveraging the company's comprehensive recruitment platform TrialCentralNet^SM (TCN^®) – a system that streamlines, organizes, and provides on-demand analysis of all data, processes and activities – the app is highly customizable and easily updatable in real-time based on user patterns and needs and/or protocol changes. Additionally, new apps can be built on the TCN^® platform in weeks or a few months, versus several months to a year, saving sponsors valuable time, budget and resources.

Consumers continue to drive the demand for information anywhere and anytime – and patients involved in clinical trials, as well as the sponsors managing those trials are no exception. Smartphones accounted for more than half of all mobile phone sales in 2013, with more than half of those owners using their devices to get health info and one-fifth of owners having at least one health app on their phone, according to Pew Research data. By 2017, it is estimated that half of the 3.4 billion smartphone or tablet users worldwide will be using mobile health apps. Not surprisingly, mobile-friendly patient recruitment campaigns are greatly enhancing enrollment and retention.

• My Clinical Study Buddy^SM: Designed to help study participants stay informed and navigate the study every step of the way, the app offers several key features: "Visit Planner" which includes visit descriptions so patients know what to expect for each visit, a calendar managing reminders and visits, and links to office locations and maps; "Study Resources" which includes educational resources, articles and related videos; and "Study Contacts."
• My Clinical Study Buddy^SM Protocol Pointers Edition: Designed to help sites and patient recruitment specialists enhance recruitment efforts, the app offers related tutorials, protocol information and real-time updates.

"Providing patients and sites with the information they need, when they need it, is a key competitive differentiator in today's increasing competitive clinical landscape – and a strategic imperative when it comes to patient advocacy and engagement," said Aaron Fleishman, leader of BBK's social innovation group. "Mobile will continue to help the life sciences industry reduce overall trial costs and is no longer simply a nice-to-have. The companies pulling ahead have made it a core element of their patient engagement strategy."

"Our clients require an adaptive model – one that utilizes technology-based solutions and can change in near real-time as the sponsor's needs change, and as adjustments are required – and mobile remains a key driver in this shift," said Matthew Stumm, BBK principal, creative and media strategy. "Mobile will continue to revolutionize every step of the clinical trial process, and we will continue to innovate in this space to deliver our clients and their patients the tools they need to succeed, today and in the future."

"As the industry continues to leverage technology and reap the rewards inherent in a digital ecosystem, mobile solutions will help pharma drive efficiencies and stay competitive, while remaining focused on the end-goal; delivering better, safer therapies to market as quickly and cost-effectively as possible," continued Stumm.

Members of the media and analyst communities interested in meeting with BBK Worldwide at DIA 2014 50^th Annual Meeting should contact Juli Greenwood at 617-515-8412 or [email protected].

Additional Resources

• eBook: "Mobile Media Boot Camp for Patient Recruitment"
• BBK Mobile: http://shop.bbkworldwide.com/collections/go-mobile

About BBK Worldwide
With more than three decades of experience across a wide variety of therapies and medicines, BBK Worldwide is the global leader in patient recruitment for the clinical trial industry. BBK's latest innovation is the introduction of adaptive recruitment – a new specialty in clinical trial marketing proven to protect global enrollment integrity, specifically within a changing or threatened landscape. BBK is a privately held, women owned business, headquartered in Needham, Mass. For more information, visit: www.bbkworldwide.com.

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SOURCE BBK Worldwide