Patient Group Engagement Prioritization Tool

The Patient Group Engagement Prioritization Tool was developed by the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) to provide a practical framework for planning and prioritising collaboration between clinical research sponsors and patient groups. It builds on qualitative research that identified how sponsors and patient groups define “benefit” and “investment” for patient engagement. A clickable checklist of 24 engagement opportunities spanning the medical product development lifecycle is provided as a starting point, with the possibility to add more.

The online tool:

• Guides users through a three step process: identify relevant engagement opportunities, rate benefit and investment (low, medium, high), and review a benefit–investment matrix.
• A simple 3×3 grid that shows each activity by its benefit and the investment needed and helps partners spot high-benefit, low effort options, as well as engagement opportunities that may be high benefit but require substantial resources.

For investigator initiated clinical studies, the tool can be used:

• At planning stage to select feasible patient engagement activities for a specific trial or research programme. 
• During grant preparation to document patient group roles and justify where engagement effort will create most value.
• When working with multiple patient organisations to compare priorities and identify mutually beneficial collaboration areas.

The tool is accessible online without charge and is part of CTTI’s broader Patient Groups & Clinical Trials work to support systematic, meaningful patient involvement in clinical research. 

Read the full development study and application: Perfetto EM, et al. Development and Application of a Patient Group Engagement Prioritization Tool for Use in Medical Product Development. Ther Innov Regul Sci. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43441-020-00217-0