Graph 1. Participant Satisfaction with Rides (n = 5*)
5
4
3
2
1
0
Made it easier
to attend
appointment
Agree
Experienced
less stress about
appointment
Made it easier for
me to participate
Would have
participated
regardless of
transport
Strongly Agree
More likely to
participate in
another study or
trial if transportation
were provided
*Data are provided only for individuals who received transportation. Options to disagree and strongly disagree were provided, but were not selected by any participants.
Materials
BIDMC used a template to collect data on the cost of the service
and the coordinator time required to arrange it, and assess the
impact of the transportation service on recruitment. BIDMC also
used a study satisfaction survey to gather insights on participants’
experience in the study and use of the transportation service. (To
view and download an example of a study satisfac tion survey, visit
michaeljfox.org/ResourcePack.)
Design and Procedures
To partner with Lyft Concierge, BIDMC signed a terms-of-service
agreement and implemented a payment system. To use the
Lyft Concierge service, coordinators worked with each study
participant to determine a pickup location. The coordinator then
arranged the ride in advance using a simple web portal. This
removed the need for study participants to have a smartphone
or online connection. After completing the ride, Lyft Concierge
could either charge an institutional credit card or send a monthly
invoice to the clinical trial site, thereby removing the stress or
logistics of payment from the study participant.
To protect patient privacy, Lyft Concierge allows sites to provide
an alias or only the patient’s first name when requesting rides.
If a site happens to provide a person’s full name, the driver
receives only the first name and last initial. Moreover, passenger
information disappears from the driver’s phone once the ride is
complete. To ensure the use of Lyft was ethical and compliant
with patient privacy regulations, BIDMC developed a protocol
explaining Lyft Concierge that was approved by its Institutional
Review Board (IRB).
Data Collection
After a preliminary phone screening to determine study
eligibility, individuals were offered rides via the Lyft Concierge
service. Data on individual acceptance of transportation, cost
and timeliness of rides, and coordinator time spent arranging
rides were collected via the template. Participants filled out
a study satisfaction survey at their baseline visit to assess the
impact of transportation on their decision to enroll in the study.
Continued on page 12
Chapter 2 — Assessing Opportunities and Challenges
11