Competition in the clinical trials landscape is fierce. For sites looking for more studies, it can be difficult to capture the attention and trust of sponsors and CROs. In this post, we break down what sites should do to keep their study pipeline full.
The clinical trials space is more complex than ever before. Competition is heavier. And in an effort to access more patients, more studies are testing decentralized or site-less models that leverage modern technology. As a result, more traditional sites need to work that much harder to attract sponsors and CROs. Before they turn to alternative outlets.
The good news is – more than anything – sponsors and CROs still want studies to run quickly and cost-effectively. This means even when up against the appeal of virtual trials, if your traditional site can outperform them, you still win.
So, how do you do that?
Well, it takes time to build a quality operation. But there are a few specific metrics you can track and improve to help win you more studies from sponsors and CROs. Let’s take a look.
#1: High Patient Enrollment
You can’t have a clinical trial without patients. Which means you can’t have a high-performing site without high patient enrollment.
Patient recruitment is one of the most significant barriers to successful clinical trials. Failure to enroll enough patients can lead to expensive delays or even trial cancellation. So, if you have a reputation for maintaining a high level of patient enrollment, you’ll be at the top of the list for any study.
So, how can you ensure healthy enrollment for your site? It won’t happen overnight. It requires knowing your individual site’s capabilities. Don’t promise numbers you know you can’t hit. Also, go after studies that fit the patient population you know you can reach.
The best way to accomplish this is by having a clean patient registry and database of individuals that may be suited for trial requirements. Use this data to inform where and how you seek out study opportunities.
#2: Clean Data
On that note, it’s critical that you can provide clean, trackable data. About your patients, your team, your protocols – everything.
All of your decisions and research activities should be supported by data. Sponsors and CROs would much rather work with a site that backs up their research with data instead of a site that can only make an educated guess about study feasibility.
The way you record your activities should create clean data that provides better insight into the overall success of individual studies and your site as a whole. Clean results will demonstrate to sponsors and CROs that you’re undeniably a high-performing site.
Deliver cleaner data by making sure you have:
- Standard naming conventions
- Pre-configured regulatory binder templates
- One source of truth across all systems
#3: Streamlined Processes
Clean data can only come from standard, streamlined processes.
The FDA say it themselves: “The handling of documents, including conventional naming, tracking, filing, version control, and the systematic back-up of real-time data collection, should follow standardized procedures.”
Consolidated processes help reduce the amount of errors, and control costs and risk, improving your site’s quality.
Start by removing inconsistent and manual processes. Look for ways to minimize non-value-added work. Build SOPs – and stick to them. Enable automation, so you’re focusing on the research and patients and less on the regulatory upkeep. Allow remote monitoring access, so sponsors can see clearly into your work, building trust.
All of these practices (and more) are possible today, with the right eRegulatory software solution supporting your site’s work.
Conclusion
Attracting more studies from CROs and sponsors comes down to improving three major factors: consistency, quality and reputation. Greater consistency improves your quality, which in turn improves your reputation and attracts better business opportunities. The faster your clinical site improves these factors, the more attention you will get from bigger sponsors.
Complion helps clinical sites achieve the consistency that fuels perfection at every site, for every trial. See how.
