New feature makes it easier for UNC patients to participate in clinical research

Thanks to a new feature, UNC patients can now use their online health management tool "My UNC Chart," the patient portal connected to UNC’s electronic medical record Epic@UNC, to help researchers find new and better ways to treat patients now and in the future.

Patients across the UNC Health Care System already use My UNC Chart to schedule their appointments, communicate with their doctors, see test results, request prescription renewals, pay bills online, and view important health information.

Now, after logging into their account, they can click the “Find Clinical Trials” button to access Join the Conquest, UNC’s new research education initiative and clinical study listing system. There, patients can register online with just basic contact details -- no medical information is required -- to learn more about specific studies and also about research in general, what is involved in being a study volunteer, and what types of research studies are being conducted at UNC.

The step is part of a larger effort at UNC to increase public participation in clinical research. Nationwide, a lack of volunteers remains a major stumbling block along the path from discovery to medical reality. For example, it can take the participation of over 5,000 patients to get enough data to file just a single drug application with the FDA and only 14 percent of clinical trials reach recruitment goals on time.

“Patients often want to participate in research but may need more information to understand what research is all about and to find studies of interest,” said Carol Breland, MPH, Research Recruitment Director at the North Carolina Clinical and Translational Science (NC TraCS) Institute. “UNC has made it so much easier for patients to partner with researchers to contribute to discoveries that may improve treatments for themselves, their families, and their communities.”

Since Join the Conquest was first launched a year ago, over 1950 volunteers have registered on the site. At last count, 87 different UNC approved research studies were currently recruiting, and more are added regularly. Each of the studies requires a different level of participation: some might involve answering questions online, whereas others might require regular visits to the hospital. Registered members can select studies that they are interested in and send their contact information to study team members through the automated system. Participation in Join the Conquest is completely voluntary, and patients can request to remove their information at any time.

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NC TraCS is the integrated hub of the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program at UNC. Its mission is to accelerate clinical and translational research from health science to discovery to dissemination to patients and communities. NC TraCS seeks to overcome barriers to translation by improving efficiency, training the research workforce and sharing successful research methods.

The Institute combines the research strengths, resources and opportunities of the UNC Chapel Hill campus, its partner institutions RTI International (RTI) in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) in Greensboro.