01
During the trial
- Plain-language study information
- Screening and visit preparation
- Expectation setting
- Participant check-ins
- Family or clinician communication support
- Retention touchpoints
- Respectful withdrawal and screen-failure communication
Participant experience and retention
Support participants through the trial and beyond.
HopeStage helps mental health research teams improve participant understanding, engagement and retention throughout the study. Through our not-for-profit community ecosystem, support can continue after participation ends.
Beyond the final visit
Support should not end when participation does.
Whether someone completes the trial, withdraws or is found ineligible, their experience should end with clarity, dignity and a useful next step.
HopeStage can provide an optional bridge to its not-for-profit mental health community, where people can access peer-support groups, psychoeducation, podcasts, trusted content and practical resources.
Because HopeStage was founded by people with lived experience of mental health conditions, this community is built on long-term relationships rather than one-off recruitment.
02
After participation
- Optional community connection
- Peer-support and talking groups
- Psychoeducation programs
- Podcasts and lived-experience content
- Practical mental health resources
- Continued connection with people who understand
- Optional future research information, only where consented
Long-term trust
A positive experience can create future advocates for research.
When people feel informed, respected and supported, they may be more willing to speak positively about research, recommend participation to others and remain open to future studies. HopeStage helps create the conditions for authentic word of mouth without expecting participants to promote a study or share their experience.
- 01More positive participant experiences
- 02Stronger organic word of mouth
- 03Greater trust among families and communities
- 04More willingness to engage with future studies
- 05A stronger reputation for the site and sponsor
- 06Long-term relationships beyond a single trial
When this work fits
Recruitment is only the beginning of the participant journey.
Participants arrive uncertain
People are interested but do not fully understand the study, its requirements or what participation will feel like.
Engagement falls during the study
Missed visits, changing expectations or practical and emotional barriers create avoidable disengagement.
The ending feels abrupt
Completion, withdrawal or screen failure leaves people without clarity, support or an appropriate next step.
Consumer partnership evidence is missing
The team needs to demonstrate how lived experience influenced communication, support and study delivery.
Three-to-four-week sprint
Participant Experience and Continuity Sprint
HopeStage reviews the full participant journey, identifies where trust or understanding changes and helps the team create a more supportive experience during and after the study.
- Participant journey review
- Five to eight lived-experience interviews, depending on scope
- Study communication clarity review
- Trust and friction map
- Participant support recommendations
- Screening and visit-preparation improvements
- Screen-failure and withdrawal communication
- Study-completion communication
- Optional post-trial community pathway
- Consumer partnership evidence pack
- Team presentation and prioritized action plan
Outcome: A practical participant experience plan covering recruitment, participation, retention and post-trial continuity.
Participant journey
Follow understanding and trust through every stage.
- 01First awareness and initial contact
- 02Pre-screening and screening preparation
- 03Screening, consent and enrolment
- 04Study visits and ongoing communication
- 05Family or clinician involvement
- 06Screen failure, withdrawal or study completion
- 07Optional community connection after participationContinued support, by choice
Business value
Connect a better experience to stronger study outcomes.
A clearer participant experience can support clinical trial retention while keeping communication practical, respectful and human.
- 01Better participant understanding
- 02Fewer avoidable no-shows and withdrawals
- 03Stronger retention touchpoints
- 04Lower communication burden on coordinators
- 05More respectful completion and withdrawal pathways
- 06Greater long-term trust and positive word of mouth
HopeStage also helps teams document meaningful consumer involvement for future sponsor, funding and research conversations.
Participant experience and continuity
Design a trial experience people remember for the right reasons.
Support participants before, during and after the study while building stronger understanding, retention and trust in mental health research.