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How Remote Sample Collection Is Transforming Clinical Trials for Sponsors, Sites, and Patients
Remote sample collection is no longer a future-facing concept—it’s a present-day solution reshaping how clinical trials are designed, executed, and experienced. For sponsors and sites, it offers a scalable way to improve recruitment, retention, and operational efficiency. For patients, it removes barriers to participation and makes trial involvement more accessible and sustainable.
Aug 29, 2025
Remote sample collection is no longer a future-facing concept—it’s a present-day solution reshaping how clinical trials are designed, executed, and experienced. For sponsors and sites, it offers a scalable way to improve recruitment, retention, and operational efficiency. For patients, it removes barriers to participation and makes trial involvement more accessible and sustainable.
These insights were shared during a recent webinar exploring the evolving landscape of decentralised clinical trials. The session highlighted real-world applications of remote sample collection and its growing role as a strategic imperative in modern clinical research.
Want to dive deeper? Watch the full on-demand webinar to see how this model works in practice and what it means for your trial operations.
Why Remote Sample Collection Matters Now
Today’s clinical trials are more complex than ever. Protocols are longer, visit schedules are denser, and patient expectations are evolving. Remote sample collection addresses these challenges head-on by enabling lab draws and other routine procedures to take place in the patient’s home—on their schedule.
This shift is especially important when considering that many patients are unwilling to travel more than 20 miles for a study visit. Yet, in practice, they often travel double that distance—or more. In some cases, patients have traveled over 1,000 miles round trip for a single visit. That’s not just inconvenient—it’s unsustainable.
By removing the need for travel and reducing time spent onsite, remote sample collection improves retention and expands access to diverse populations. In fact, studies that incorporate these services report equal or better retention in 70% of cases.
Benefits for Sponsors and Sites: More Than Just Convenience
While the patient experience is central, the operational benefits for sponsors and sites are equally compelling.
Expanded Site Capacity
Remote services allow sites to offload routine visits—such as blood draws or urine collections—freeing up time and resources for more complex procedures. This enables sites to take on additional trials, see more patients, and operate more efficiently.
Flexible Scheduling
Unlike traditional site visits, remote visits can be scheduled during evenings or weekends. This flexibility supports working adults, students, and caregivers who might otherwise be excluded from participation.
Improved Recruitment and Retention
By reducing travel and time burdens, remote sample collection makes it easier for patients to stay enrolled—especially in long-term studies that span multiple years.
Hybrid Trials Are the New Normal
Fully virtual trials remain rare. Instead, hybrid models—where some visits occur onsite and others remotely—have become the standard. Specimen collection is one of the most commonly outsourced components, and for good reason: it’s already familiar to patients and providers in standard care settings.
This familiarity accelerates adoption and reduces friction. Patients are comfortable with third-party labs, and investigators trust the process. As a result, remote sample collection is often the first—and most impactful—step toward decentralization.
How Remote Sample Collection Works: A Behind-the-Scenes Look
From the patient’s perspective, the difference between a site visit and a home visit is dramatic. Site visits involve scheduling constraints, travel, parking, waiting, and multiple administrative steps. Home visits are simple: patients choose a time, the nurse arrives, performs the procedure, and the visit is complete.
Behind the scenes, the process is powered by a tightly coordinated workflow:
- Site submits a digital visit request via a secure portal (takes less than a minute).
- IQVIA assigns a nurse, ensuring continuity for long-term studies.
- Scheduling is handled directly with the patient—no burden on the site.
- All supplies are shipped to the nurse in advance, including kits, personal protective equipment and backup materials.
- Specialty couriers deliver and retrieve samples, including frozen specimens and investigational products.
- Nurses upload documentation in real time using secure digital tools.
- IQVIA Laboratories process the samples, and sites receive clean, validated data.
This model ensures consistency, quality, and compliance—without adding administrative load to the site.
Lab and Logistics Integration: Built for Global Scale
IQVIA’s lab services are fully integrated with remote sample collection workflows. Nurses receive the same training and lab manuals as site staff, and the kits used are identical—ensuring consistency across all collection points.
Global distribution capabilities support just-in-time delivery of supplies to nurses worldwide. A centralized logistics lead coordinates all shipments, ensuring that nurses receive everything they need in a single, consolidated package.
This infrastructure also supports biometric collection (e.g., ECGs, blood pressure, height, weight) when required by the protocol.
Real-World Impact: A Case Study in Oncology
In a recent high-risk bladder cancer trial, patients were required to provide samples daily or weekly. Many lived far from the site, making frequent travel impractical.
IQVIA deployed 23 trained nurses to conduct over 325 home visits for 42 patients—eliminating more than 6,700 miles of patient travel. The result? Higher site adoption, improved retention, and a better patient experience.
This case illustrates how remote sample collection can transform feasibility, especially in studies with high visit frequency or geographically dispersed populations.
Strategic Value for Sponsors
Remote sample collection is more than a logistical solution—it’s a strategic enabler. It supports:
- Protocol feasibility: Makes complex schedules manageable.
- Enrollment acceleration: Expands access to remote and underserved populations.
- Retention improvement Reduces dropout in long-term or placebo-controlled studies.
- Operational efficiency: Minimizes site burden and maximizes resource utilization.
Sponsors who proactively plan for remote services—rather than treating them as contingency options—are better positioned to deliver trials on time, on budget, and with higher data quality.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Decentralized Trials
COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of decentralized models, but the momentum hasn’t slowed. Sponsors are now more educated, more proactive, and more strategic in how they implement remote services.
Decentralized elements—like remote sample collection—are here to stay. They’re not just a response to disruption; they’re a pathway to smarter, more inclusive, and more efficient clinical research.
Ready to Redesign Your Trial Experience?
Whether you're planning a new study or looking to optimize an existing one, IQVIA can help you integrate remote sample collection into your protocol with confidence. Our global infrastructure, clinical expertise, and patient-first approach ensure that every visit—onsite or remote—delivers value to sponsors, sites, and patients alike.
Contact IQVIA today to explore custom solutions that meet your trial’s unique needs.