With global clinical trials expected to see a 5.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2030, the use of mobile medical vehicles has increased exponentially, providing accessibility, convenience, and expanded reach in areas far from the nearest hospital or clinic. They perform a variety of health services for the communities they serve, conducting mobile clinical trials and decentralized clinical trials for new drugs and treatments.
Keep reading to learn more about mobile clinical trials, including what mobile clinical trials are, their benefits, and the types of vehicles TESCO Specialty Vehicles offers for use.
What Are Mobile Clinical Trials And Why Are They Important?
Mobile clinical trials play an integral role in public health, working to validate the effectiveness of drugs, treatments, and other health initiatives. They also validate new ways of detecting and diagnosing diseases. For patients, it can also mean getting one’s foot in the door before the treatment becomes widely available. A new drug or treatment can take several years to reach clinical trials.
One of the most popular examples of clinical trials in recent types was the Salk polio vaccine field trial in the 1950s, where more than 1.5 million school-aged children participated. It was wildly successful, resulting in the eradication of polio in the country.
Today, clinical trials are not only conducted in standard health care settings (e.g., hospitals/clinics) but also in mobile clinical vehicles. Mobile clinical vehicles expand clinical trial participation, reaching qualified volunteers who may not be close to a clinical trial testing site.
What About Decentralized Mobile Clinical Trials?
Decentralized mobile clinical trials are conducted in several ways (e.g., at-home mobile or virtual) to recruit and enroll patients faster. They also offer improved digital workflows, allowing patients to schedule and record visit progress through online portals.
Like standard mobile clinical trials, decentralized mobile clinical trials can also take place in medical vehicles offered by TESCO Specialty Vehicles. The premise is the same offering a convenient, comfortable setting to work with patients where they frequent most.
What Other Clinical Services Can Mobile Clinical Vehicles Accommodate?
In addition to clinical trials, mobile clinicians can perform various tasks, such as urine collection, drug testing, biologic sampling, drug administration, and blood drives. They are usually conducted in mobile clinical vehicles with one or two exam rooms.
Another overlooked component of mobile clinical trials is the administrative aspect. Administrative tasks may include everything from educating patients on the purpose of the study to asking for a completed content form. Fortunately, many medical vehicles by TESCO Specialty Vehicles have separate waiting areas for this purpose. In addition, many configurations have a waiting area and two exam rooms, making your mobile clinical trial a comfortable endeavor for all trial participants.
What Types Of Medical Vehicles Does TESCO Specialty Vehicles Offer?
TESCO Specialty Vehicles offers a wide range of medical mobile units for sale and used mobile medical trailers for sale, from truck chassis mobile clinics to larger clinics that require tractor or semi-transport. Our sales representatives are on standby to advise on recommended configurations based on how frequently you move your clinic, types of medical procedures, the total number of daily patients, and other factors around use and inflow.
TESCO Specialty Vehicles also offers in-house graphic design for instant brand recognition.
To view our mobile testing clinic inventory, complete with vehicle descriptions and floor plans, view our inventory.
Benefits Of Using TESCO Specialty Vehicles For Mobile Clinical Trials
Return on Investment
According to Mobile Health Map, a mobile health clinic analytics firm, the average return on investment for mobile health is 12:1, or $12 saved for every $1 spent. These figures speak to mobile health clinics’ ability to provide accessible care, contributing to fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations per year.
Expanded Reach
Through TESCO Specialty Vehicles, hospitals and clinics can reach underrepresented areas of the country with limited access to healthcare and clinical trial participation, promoting equity of care. These include uninsured, low-income, and rural populations. Conducting mobile clinical trials in your area using one of our vehicles also helps increase community awareness about your clinic, funneling patients towards other health care services you may offer.
Different Configurations
TESCO Specialty Vehicles carries a wide selection of vehicles, from trailer mobile clinics (one room) to full-on options with wheelchair accessibility, two exam rooms, and a lab room. Larger, two-exam-room vehicles with waiting areas also accommodate higher trial participant inflow.
We also carry truck chassis mobile clinics with a connected vehicle. Connected vehicles eliminate the need for a physical hookup of a hitch.
Utility
Mobile clinical trial units come with everything needed to work as a medical site, complete with a heavy-duty truck frame, waiting areas, up to two exam rooms, exam table area, refrigeration units, and base/upper cabinets for safe storage. Please refer to our inventory floor plans for exact specifications.
Who Uses Mobile Health Clinics?
Outside of organizations that run mobile clinical trials and decentralized clinical trials, mobile health clinics are used by various affiliations or parent organizations, such as community health clinics, rural health clinics, mobile dental clinics, HIV/AIDs mobile clinics, and mobile women’s health clinics.
These programs may specialize in one or more services, including but not limited to pediatric, disaster relief, preventive health screenings, blood draws, and pediatric care.
