Clinical Study Recruitment: Why Enrolment Fails and What Works

Reasons to attend

Participant recruitment remains one of the most persistent — and most underestimated — risks to clinical study success. Despite increased investment in technology, patient engagement tools, and recruitment vendors, studies continue to fall behind schedule, not because of science or regulation, but because recruitment assumptions break down once they meet reality at site level.

This interactive workshop moves beyond theory to examine how recruitment decisions are actually made, where plans tend to fail, and what more realistic, experience-driven approaches look like in practice.

What's included?

• Documents and materials related to this course are included
• Globally recognised certificates awarded after test completion

Course Schedule

We provide this course as a one day classroom. 

Course Description

Recruiting participants remains one of the biggest risks to clinical study timelines, despite detailed feasibility work, increasing use of recruitment tools, and growing attention to patient engagement. Too often, recruitment strategies look strong on paper but struggle once studies go live.

This course/workshop focuses on the practical realities of recruiting participants in clinical studies. It goes beyond theory to examine how recruitment decisions are actually made, where assumptions tend to break down, and why misalignment between sponsors, CROs, and sites continues to undermine enrolment.

Participants will explore recruitment from a real-world, operational perspective, looking at feasibility assessment, recruitment planning, and execution at site level. The course addresses the impact of study design and protocol complexity, the limits of feasibility data, and the day-to-day constraints faced by sites once recruitment starts.

Rather than promoting generic best practices, the course strengthens critical thinking and judgement around recruitment planning. It helps participants recognise early warning signs, challenge unrealistic expectations, and design recruitment approaches that are more realistic, sustainable, and aligned with how studies are actually conducted.

This course is ideal for professionals involved in study planning, feasibility, start-up, and clinical operations who are expected to oversee or contribute to recruitment strategy and delivery.