Tweeting for Trials

A new Twitter application by TrialX allows patients to use do-it-yourself social media to find clinical studies that match their health and disease profile. TrialX also lets patients with electronic personal health records like Microsoft HealthVault or Google Health import their information instead of filling out online pre-screening forms to be matched for trials. Clinical trials are an import mechanism for patients to gain access to experimental therapies particularly for diseases with few treatment options.

“Eighty percent of consumers who are online are searching for health information,” says Sharib Khan, co-founder of the new TrialX platform. As many as two million of them are looking specifically for clinical trials or new disease treatments. They frequently discover sites like ClinicalTrials.gov, the massive registry of the NIH, but can quickly get overwhelmed trying to sort through the listings to find a few potentially suitable trials. >Full Story: eCliniqua

. . .only 3% of cancer patients participate in trials but surveys have shown that many more would like to participate if only they were aware of trials and had a simple way to access trial information. >Full Story: TrialX Blog

As an alternative patients can now send a "Tweet" to TrialX (@trialx) with the keyword "CT" for clinical trial followed by pertinent health information as in the following examples:

@trialx CT find studies for my father, 62 with pancreatic cancer in Raleigh area

@trialx CT 55 yo female with multiple sclerosis in Chicago, Illinois

After sending the Tweet the TrialX application will send a reply Tweet in about 1-2 minutes with a link to the TrialX page listing matching clinical trials. If patients prefer not to divulge their health profile for privacy reasons they can simply "Follow" the @trialx on Twitter and send the Tweet as a direct message. They will then receive a private reply with their matching trials.

. . .this new Twitter-based TrialX [application]. . .provides consumers another simple and yet effective tool to find information that may give them access to a new life-saving treatment and an avenue for them to help further medical research. >Full Story: TrialX Blog