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Florez M, Smith Z, Olah Z, Martin M, Getz K. Quantifying Site Burden to Optimize Protocol Performance. Ther Innov Regul Sci 2024; 58:347-356. [PMID: 38191957 DOI: 10.1007/s43441-023-00602-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The increase in protocol complexity and the resulting rise in the effort required by investigative sites to implement protocols have been well documented, but existing measures of site burden only offer an incomplete view of the burden experienced by site personnel. The introduction of Decentralized Clinical Trials-trials supported by remote and virtual technologies and services-is expected to impact the burden imposed on sites, but this impact has not yet been systematically measured. METHODS The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development conducted an online survey among clinical research sites worldwide and gathered 355 responses assessing the burden associated with distinct activities and procedures related to the implementation of clinical trial protocols using traditional and decentralized approaches. RESULTS A high percentage of investigative sites (50.5%) have had no experience with DCT solutions and only a small percentage (6.6%) have participated in fully decentralized clinical trials. Overall, half of respondents view DCT solutions as more burdensome than traditional clinical trials. In general, activities related to operational and managerial aspects of trial implementation were viewed as less burdensome when done remotely, while clinical procedures or elements that require study team-patient interactions were viewed as more burdensome when using DCT approaches versus in-person or traditional methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Florez
- Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts School of Medicine, Boston, USA.
| | - Zachary Smith
- Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts School of Medicine, Boston, USA
| | | | | | - Kenneth Getz
- Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts School of Medicine, Boston, USA
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Speich B, von Niederhäusern B, Schur N, Hemkens LG, Fürst T, Bhatnagar N, Alturki R, Agarwal A, Kasenda B, Pauli-Magnus C, Schwenkglenks M, Briel M. Systematic review on costs and resource use of randomized clinical trials shows a lack of transparent and comprehensive data. J Clin Epidemiol 2017; 96:1-11. [PMID: 29288136 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2017.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are costly. We aimed to provide a systematic overview of the available evidence on resource use and costs for RCTs to support budget planning. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and HealthSTAR from inception until November 30, 2016 without language restrictions. We included any publication reporting empirical data on resource use and costs of RCTs and categorized them depending on whether they reported (i) resource and costs of all aspects at all study stages of an RCT (including conception, planning, preparation, conduct, and all tasks after the last patient has completed the RCT); (ii) on several aspects, (iii) on a single aspect (e.g., recruitment); or (iv) on overall costs for RCTs. Median costs of different recruitment strategies were calculated. Other results (e.g., overall costs) were listed descriptively. All cost data were converted into USD 2017. RESULTS A total of 56 articles that reported on cost or resource use of RCTs were included. None of the articles provided empirical resource use and cost data for all aspects of an entire RCT. Eight articles presented resource use and cost data on several aspects (e.g., aggregated cost data of different drug development phases, site-specific costs, selected cost components). Thirty-five articles assessed costs of one specific aspect of an RCT (i.e., 30 on recruitment; five others). The median costs per recruited patient were USD 409 (range: USD 41-6,990). Overall costs of an RCT, as provided in 16 articles, ranged from USD 43-103,254 per patient, and USD 0.2-611.5 Mio per RCT but the methodology of gathering these overall estimates remained unclear in 12 out of 16 articles (75%). CONCLUSION The usefulness of the available empirical evidence on resource use and costs of RCTs is limited. Transparent and comprehensive resource use and cost data are urgently needed to support budget planning for RCTs and help improve sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Speich
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
| | - Belinda von Niederhäusern
- Clinical Trial Unit, Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nadine Schur
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lars G Hemkens
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Fürst
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Neera Bhatnagar
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Reem Alturki
- Multi Organ Transplant Center, King Fahad Specialist Hospital Dammam, P.O. Box 15215, Dammam 31444, Saudi Arabia
| | - Arnav Agarwal
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; School of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Benjamin Kasenda
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Switzerland; Department of Medical Oncology, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christiane Pauli-Magnus
- Clinical Trial Unit, Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Schwenkglenks
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Briel
- Department of Clinical Research, Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Switzerland; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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