Increase in recruitment upon integration of trial into a clinical care pathway: an observational study.

Introduction: Many respiratory clinical trials fail to reach their recruitment target and this problem exacerbates existing funding issues. Integration of the clinical trial recruitment process into a clinical care pathway (CCP) may represent an effective way to significantly increase recruitment numbers.

Methods: A respiratory support unit and a CCP for escalation of patients with severe COVID-19 were established on 11 January 2021.