By Clinical Research News Staff 

January 8, 2026 | As clinical research faces mounting pressure to generate real-world evidence faster and more efficiently, non-interventional studies may be a useful tool to achieve this. Yet, they have been historically underutilized. In the most recent episode of The Scope of Things, Dan Drozd, chief medical officer of Picnic Health, argued that non-interventional studies can play a much larger role in modern clinical research if they are designed and executed more pragmatically. 

According to Drozd, randomized clinical trials, considered the gold standard of trials, can be too costly, raise ethical concerns, or fall short with enrollment. Even when they’re complete, the data generated reflects a very specific type of patient instead of a much broader group of people, meaning the study results do not reflect how treatments may work in the real world. Because of this, observational and real-world studies can be very valuable, but the demand for data is growing faster than the ability to produce it through traditional study methods. Researchers also need to consider how much burden studies place on patients and clinical sites, since heavy demands lead to poor participation and high dropout rates. Technology, such as artificial intelligence, can be used to make the process easier.  

“I think there is a huge amount of opportunity, where particular subsets of studies can be run in ways that leverage real world data, leverage more decentralized approaches to data collection,” says Drozd. “And ultimately, this is about fitting data collection and study design to evidentiary goals and needs.” 

In other words, pragmatic studies that use real-world data, electronic health records, and decentralized approaches can help include more representative patients and generate the evidence that decision-makers need. 

Despite their importance, non-interventional studies have often struggled to keep pace with evidentiary demands, particularly as randomized controlled trials become more expensive and less representative of real-world patients. Trials must also take the patients’ perspective into consideration. Studies can easily place too much burden on participants, such as asking them to complete several surveys or tasks. Participants are regular people with their own lives, and their time and energy need to be respected.  

To learn more about non-interventional studies, how PicnicHealth is reducing study burden, and Drozd’s expectations for 2026, listen to The Scope of Thingspodcast.