"Before COVID-19, clinical research was a little-known part of health care. Despite this process being responsible for determining the safety and efficacy of all the drugs, medical devices, vaccines, and other medical therapies available, less than 5 percent of the U.S. population actually participates in clinical research.

One reason why clinical research has little awareness and even lower participation is that, unlike other major industries, the pharmaceutical industry and many regulatory bodies never fully embraced technology to reduce the burdens of participation. We use our mobile devices to do our banking and place retail orders. Why can’t we use similar technology in clinical research?"

Kent Thoelke is a science executive.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Accelerated by COVID-19, technology carves new pathways for everyone to access health care." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/03/accelerated-by-covid-19-technology-carves-new-pathways-for-everyone-to-access-health-care.html)