Plan internal processes to conduct the trial

Complete a study start-up checklist

  • One quick and easy device to ensure that all staff, materials, and required tasks are covered is the study start-up checklist.

Plan trial logistics and scheduling

  • Seemingly minor barriers—like patient appointments booked after the local bus service stops running—can impact recruiting in a big way. While it is not possible to avoid every glitch, the more thought you give to logistical planning the less likely you are to encounter such problems.

Dedicate staff and budget to recruitment in the beginning

  • Doing this from the outset can help keep a trial out of accrual trouble. In many cases, resources are put toward recruitment efforts only when it becomes clear that a trial is not accruing well.

Identify "go-to" research staff for the trial

  • There is documented value in having one or two staff members designated as a “go-to” people for a trial—in other words, designated staff who can answer questions about the trial. With the "go-to" person or people widely known, all staff who encounter potential participants will know exactly whom to ask when eligibility and other questions come up. In short, a "go-to" staff member streamlines communication and problem-solving.

Provide trial-specific training to staff

  • When developing staff training programs, review basic information about the trial, including the informed consent document and answers to frequently asked questions. Make sure staff members know how to describe the trial and answer questions from the first discussion with a potential participant, through informed consent, and during the trial itself. Anyone in contact with participants on a trial should know exactly who the “go-to” person is to quickly address questions or concerns.

Pre-authorize insurance or develop alternate payment options for the trial

  • Financial costs are a key barrier to trial participation. If possible, work with insurance companies and get ideas and suggestions from your institution’s specialists such as the billing office to help you plan ahead for how participant costs will be covered.

Implement information technology (IT) processes for the trial

  • Think about your IT needs for identifying potential participants, enrolling and tracking trial processes and results, and concluding the trial. Have you capitalized on IT systems or appropriate software to automate trial activities such as identifying and tracking eligible participants?

Literature and Tools (134)

Image Representing Resource Type (Journal Article)
Posted: Feb 13, 2013.
J Oncol Pract. 8. 2. 91-6.
KEYWORDS: Staff Experience Level, Institutional Issues, Consent, Cancer
Image Representing Resource Type (Journal Article)
Posted: Feb 13, 2013.
Monitor. 26. 5. 39-42.
KEYWORDS: Institutional Issues, Regulatory Issues, Web, Social Media
Image Representing Resource Type (Journal Article)
Posted: Jan 17, 2013.
J Med Internet Res. 14. 3. e84.
KEYWORDS: International, Web, Non-Cancer
Image Representing Resource Type (Journal Article)
Posted: Jan 17, 2013.
Contemp Clin Trials. 27. 6. 494-7.
KEYWORDS: Print Media, Brochure or Flyer, Non-Cancer
Image Representing Resource Type (Staff Education Materials)
Posted: Jan 04, 2013.
University of Michigan.
KEYWORDS: Knowledge/Attitudes/Beliefs, Level of Clinical Trials Knowledge or Awareness, Provider-Patient Relationship, Institutional Issues, Regulatory Issues, Consent, Verbal Communications, Cancer, Treatment, Phase 0,1,2, Phase 3-4

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