Using EHRs and Mobile Cognitive Testing to Accelerate Recruitment
Clinical Trial Knowledge Hub
CTRL Pilot
Using EHRs and Mobile Cognitive Testing to Accelerate Recruitment
Research Focus
Can EHR patient portals, bilingual surveys, and brief smartphone-based cognitive tests identify older adults who are likely to qualify for and remain engaged in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials?
Study Term
2026
Status
In Progress
Pilot Description
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) trials are slowed by limited clinic screening capacity, high screen-failure rates, and underrepresentation of diverse patients. This pilot will test a scalable prescreening approach embedded in UC San Diego Health’s Epic MyChart portal. First, a bilingual English-Spanish survey will be sent to 5,000 patients ages 60-90 to assess interest in AD research, willingness to complete common screening procedures, and trust in biomedical research. Responses will establish a registry of patients who are open to future research contact and identify groups for whom tailored outreach may be needed. Interested respondents will then complete a brief smartphone survey and a brief battery of self-administered NeuroUX cognitive tests. De-identified electronic health record data will be securely integrated with survey and cognitive results. Machine-learning models will use these data to generate a preliminary eligibility classification (Likely, Conditional, or Ineligible) and a retention-risk score. The pilot will evaluate feasibility, usability, and acceptability while creating a reusable framework for more efficient and equitable AD trial recruitment.
Participant Input
Participant perspectives are central to the aims of this study. The initial MyChart survey will ask older adults their perspectives on participating in AD clinical trials, including perceived benefits and barriers to participation, trust in biomedical research, preferred sources and modes of communication, and willingness to complete procedures such as cognitive testing, blood draws, MRI or PET scans, genetic testing, and lumbar puncture. Survey findings will be used to identify barriers and tailor future recruitment and communication strategies, including approaches for Spanish-speaking and other underrepresented patients. Participants who continue to the digital prescreening phase will complete the 10-item System Usability Scale and provide feedback on the accessibility, burden, and acceptability of the smartphone survey and cognitive tests. This input will guide iterative refinements to study materials, technical support, assessment workflows, and the automated eligibility report before broader implementation.
