Making Your Practice an Attractive Potential Site to a CRO
By Fran Sawyer
As a project manager at the Clinical Trials Resource Group (CTRG), I know what makes a potential clinical trial site the right fit for a particular study. If your clinic is considering participating in a clinical trial, or if they are weighing how best to expand the breadth of their clinical trial offerings, remember that CROs want to see a few key characteristics.
Demonstrate that your clinic’s staffing and capacity to recruit are commensurate with a study’s needs.
Each study has its own set of demands. Some require low enrollment but detailed recordkeeping and protocol adherence, while others may have lighter administrative lifts but greater focus on patient recruitment volume. Many studies require both. CROs ask that sites assess enrollment expectations and logistical requirements to ensure that they can fulfill the study sponsor’s expectations. If your site isn’t a match for whatever reason, let your CRO know—there are plenty of other opportunities that are likely good fits, and they will work with you to find a match that leads to success.
Keep in touch.
If a potential clinical trial site becomes nonresponsive during an initial qualification evaluation, it may be a signal that they are not properly equipped to participate in a study at that time. Similarly, if a clinic’s communication drops off after a practice has been selected as a site, it indicates that they may have changed priorities. CROs notice when sites that maintain open lines of communication before and during a study, and will weigh the site’s communication styles when evaluating their fit for future trials.
Prepare for scrutiny.
Among its various responsibilities, a CRO is tasked with ensuring that clinical trial sites follow protocols while hitting their enrollment numbers. Expect CROs to keep a watchful eye on study sites, particularly sites with which they have little history or sites participating in trials exploring new disease states.
Be an honest, communicative partner.
CROs want a partner whose receptiveness to feedback mirrors their willingness to offer it. Has a particular recruitment tactic worked in the past for your clinic? Are you unable to accommodate a unique facet of a study protocol? How easily can you implement a suggestion from another site? Knowing that a potential study site has thorough, honest answers to questions such as these indicate their commitment to a mutually beneficial relationship.
Finding the right fit.
Including a practice in a clinical trial should occur only when the site, the sponsor, and the CRO agree that a right fit has been established. Sites that aren’t equipped to participate will find the experience stressful. And sites that successfully execute clinical trials enjoy the experience, as it both stimulates their sense of scientific curiosity and allows them to contribute meaningfully to their field.
About the Author
Fran Sawyer is a project manager at Clinical Trials Resource Group. She has over 15 years’ experience in the industry.