Going the Extra Mile: Advocating for Families in Clinical Trials
Supporting a Family with Three Children Through Long-Term Patient Relocation in a Rare Disease Clinical Trial
The Challenge
A family with three children relocated from Ohio to California so their son could participate in a clinical trial. All three children were living with a terminal degenerative disorder affecting white blood cell production, leaving them highly vulnerable to infections. The study involved a stem cell transplant, making continuous participation essential for the trial’s success.
As the trial progressed, both of the boy’s siblings, all under the age of six, were also enrolled. This presented additional challenges: the family now required long-term accommodation and highly personalized support to manage the complex logistics of having multiple young patients in the same study.
Without secure and flexible patient relocation in clinical trials, there was a real risk of missed visits, withdrawal, or disruption to the trial.
The Solution
mdgroup arranged the family’s relocation from Ohio to California, initially securing nine months of accommodation for one child. When the two siblings were later enrolled, we extended their stay in the same home to ensure continuity, stability, and comfort for the entire family.
By enrolling the children together, we streamlined logistics and could better advocate for the family as a unit. Our flexibility and ingenuity meant adapting to an uncommon situation, ensuring trial visits and procedures ran smoothly without added burden to the family or the site.
The family received full support across our services, from our patient travel, accommodation & relocation team to our Global Project Managers. This ensured they had consistent, high-quality, personalized support throughout their long-term stay.
The Outcome
With all three children enrolled, the family remained in California for the entire study period. Thanks to our flexible patient relocation services, the trial retained three rare disease patients, timelines were protected, and the family was supported every step of the way.
The father expressed his gratitude by sending a Christmas card to our Global Project Manager, thanking the team for making it possible for the family to return home together in time for the holidays.
This case demonstrates how mdgroup’s personalized relocation services reduce patient burden, safeguard retention, and provide the human connection needed to keep families engaged in even the most complex clinical trials.
Ready to make patient participation seamless?
At mdgroup, we’re on a mission to deliver remarkable experiences for patients and caregivers taking part in clinical research. Through our personalized services and innovative digital technologies, we remove barriers to participation and support patients at every stage of the journey.
Our approach to patient relocation in clinical trials reduces drop-out rates, safeguards retention, and prevents disruption—helping you protect study timelines and bring treatments to market faster.
