Most clinical trials are still conducted through having participants attend a research site.
And there are often good reasons for this – including such things as having the necessary equipment available, and being able to ensure the integrity of the data collected.
From a patient recruitment perspective, this does somewhat limit the potential patient pool, with only people within a realistic traveling distance of a relevant site likely being interested in taking part.
There are ways to get round this issue through such methods as providing transport and accommodation options for people who might live a distance away from a site.
And, obviously, the whole concept of Decentralized Trials is based on the idea of not operating the trial solely from research sites.
What will work best for patients, of course, is being able to offer them the choice of how they participate – thus helping recruit more people in the first place.