Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT)
Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT) are studies that move research activities to participants through telehealth, remote monitoring, local providers, and home visits rather than requiring all visits at a central site. This design broadens enrollment access and can improve retention and real-world relevance.
What are Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT)?
Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT) are studies that bring research activities to participants instead of requiring them to travel to a single central site for every visit. They lean on tools such as telehealth visits, remote monitoring devices, local providers, and home health visits to gather data where the participant is.
A trial can be fully decentralized or adopt a hybrid model that mixes remote elements with some in-person visits. The common thread is reducing the logistical demands placed on participants.
Why do Decentralized Clinical Trials matter?
By lowering travel and scheduling barriers, DCTs can widen access to people who live far from major research centers or who cannot easily take time off, broadening and diversifying enrollment. This is especially valuable for populations historically underrepresented in research.
The model can also improve retention, since participants are less burdened over the life of a study, and it may yield more real-world relevance by capturing data in everyday settings. These advantages have made decentralized approaches an increasingly prominent part of clinical research design.
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