About AccrualNet

Clinical trials are a critical step in translating scientific discovery into effective treatments.   However, many trials fail to meet their accrual goals and achieve their endpoints. There are no easy solutions to solving the accrual challenges, but there are many resources and tools that can help.  The National Cancer Institute (NCI) developed AccrualNet™ , a searchable database of hundreds of journal articles with easy-to-read summaries, helpful tools, sample materials, and training resources, coupled with a community of practice, where members can interact and share ideas. Here’s how AccrualNet™ can help you:

  • Content: Access to vetted literature, resources and tools to inform and support your practice. Our visual design - a ‘wheel’- is meant to encourage you to think about accrual at every stage of a clinical trial—from developing a protocol through retaining participants and examining lessons learned. From evidence-based peer-reviewed journal articles to practical tools from the field, AccrualNet™ provides ‘just what you need’ every step of the way, saving you the time of searching for best practices and tools. New resources are added monthly.

  • Conversation: Let’s Talk! Here you will find the collective wisdom of clinical trials professionals joined in dialogue focused on improved accrual. Browse the conversation topics, find one that speaks to you and jump in! Ask questions, share your experiences, and voice your opinion. To keep the conversation moving, the AccrualNet™ Team publishes a blog every Wednesday on a topic of interest. And you won’t want to miss the monthly Guest Expert feature!

  • Community: AccrualNet™ unites you with clinical trial colleagues who share similar interests and accrual challenges, creating a virtual community of practice. Once you register on AccrualNet™ you can join—or even start - an ‘AccrualNet™ Community of Practice’. These communities are places for groups to gather around a particular area of interest, discuss accrual issues, share documents, and collaborate with each other.

Who this web site is for

AccrualNet™  is designed for clinical trial professionals who are involved in the process of recruiting and retaining participants to clinical trials. That includes professionals involved in the protocol writing process, decision-makers who select which trials to open in your organization, ‘front-line’ staff who plan for and actively recruit participants, protocol study coordinators, research managers and administrators, educators, quality improvement specialists, and communication researchers.

While the primary focus of AccrualNet™ is recruitment to cancer trials, we recognize that the challenges of clinical trial accrual are shared by many and that we can all learn from each other. We invite and encourage clinical trial professionals across all diseases, conditions, settings, and sponsors to join AccrualNet™.

How we manage the site

AccrualNet™  is hosted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and managed by NCI’s AccrualNet™ Team. The team is composed of government professionals with expertise in oncology, clinical trials, recruitment, education, health communication, social media, evaluation, and communications technology.

The AccrualNet™ Team selects journal articles and other resources for inclusion on the site based on 2 primary factors: Is it relevant to clinical trial professionals and is it useful to supporting accrual efforts? The journal articles are selected mostly from peer-reviewed journals, but occasionally we will select something from a less scholarly source, if the information is valuable to the AccrualNet™ community.

In addition to journal literature, AccrualNet™ contains ‘non-journal content’—our term for materials that will help you do your work. These items range from templates, sample materials created by others, slide sets for training presentations, checklists …and more. Many of these materials come from the NCI or from members of our research community. Other materials are from professional organizations or other clinical trial organizations. Materials from commercial entities are also included, as long as they are useful to AccrualNet™ members, do not promote or try to generate business, and are from a source that fully and forthrightly declares its funding and purpose. More information about our policies is available here.

What you can do

You can participate fully in AccrualNet™ by registering on the site.  Here's ‘what’s in it for you’:

  • You can start a new conversation and participate in ongoing dialogs you’re interested in.
  • You can start or join an AccrualNet™ Community of Practice and use your ‘community’ space to connect with other members, share documents or hold conversations among yourselves. As a Community of Practice Moderator, you can lead the way by adding members to your group and keeping the conversation active.  And as an AccrualNet™ Community member, you’ll share the important role of Ambassador and Biggest Fan—participating in the open conversations and sharing the lessons learned from your community.
  • You can send us materials to share on AccrualNet™ . Did you read a great article that should be included on AccrualNet™ ? Send it to us. Do you have a tool, a template, a sample that works well for you? Sharing it on AccrualNet™ gives you recognition for your work—and saves someone else from re-inventing the wheel.
  • And you can spread the word. Consider placing the AccrualNet™ button in a ‘well traveled spot’ on your institutional web site or intranet.

How you can find out more

AccrualNet™ is hosted by the NCI and is governed by NCI’s policies on privacy, comment, copyright, links to outside sites and endorsement. You can get the details here.

You can also send the AccrualNet™ Team an e-mail at nciaccrualnet@mail.nih.gov.

Contributors

NCI staff manages and contributes to the site by adding new content to the site, moderating discussions on relevant and timely topics, and sharing new resources and tools.  However, the content on the communities portal is designed to be user generated with the ultimate goal of forming a vibrant community dialogue.

Linda Parreco, RN, MS
NCI, Office of Communication and Education
Candace Maynard, MPA
NCI, Office of Communication and Education
Ellen Richmond, RN, MS
NCI, Division of Cancer Prevention
Cathy Muha, RN, MSN
NCI, Office of Communication and Education
Julie Cuff, BA
NCI, Office of Communication and Education
Cassie Norman, MA
NCI, Office of Communication and Education
Annette Galassi, RN, MA
NCI, Office of Communication and Education
Sona Thakkar, MS
NCI, Office of Communication and Education