More information on trial site investigators needed

December 27, 2011 in Other

Despite the importance of site investigators to the success of multicentre clinical trials, inadequate public information is available about their recruitment performance.

In this week's , Rafael Dal-Ré and colleagues argue that that sponsors should disclose the recruitment targets of all site on ClinicalTrials.gov before a trial starts, as well as their final recruitment.

Information on issues that could have affected recruitment should also be provided. This information will be of interest to different stakeholders such as patient organizations, sponsors, and MCT networks, say the authors.

The authors state that: "Disclosing all site investigators' recruitment figures could prompt queries to the sponsor from the scientific community about regional subgroup analyses, to be able to assess if ethnic or standard-of-care differences have an impact on treatment outcomes."

More information: Dal-Ré R, Moher D, Gluud C, Treweek S, Demotes-Mainard J, et al. (2011) Disclosure of Investigators' Recruitment Performance in Multicenter Clinical Trials: A Further Step for Research Transparency. PLoS Med 8(12): e1001149. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001149

Provided by Public Library of Science search and more info website

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Early use of tracheostomy for mechanically ventilated patients not associated with improved survival

For critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation, early tracheostomy (within the first 4 days after admission) was not associated with an improvement in the risk of death within 30 days compared to patients who ...

Other created 10 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Decisions to forgo life support may depend heavily on the ICU where patients are treated

The decision to limit life support in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) appears to be significantly influenced by physician practices and/or the culture of the hospital, suggests new findings from researchers at the ...

Other created 12 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

People on higher incomes are happier with new knees

Knee replacement surgery is a very common procedure. However, it does not always resolve function or pain in all the recipients of new knees. A study by Robert Barrack, MD and his colleagues from the Washington University ...

Other created 14 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New search engine finds rare diagnoses

Doctors are trained to think "common disease" when they meet patients in their practices, and as they rarely or never meet a rare disease, it often takes many years to reach the right diagnosis. A new search tool called FindZebra ...

Other created 14 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Delayed transfer to the ICU increases risk of death in hospital patients

Delayed transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) in hospitalized patients significantly increases the risk of dying in the hospital, according to a new study from researchers in Chicago.

Other created 16 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


If you can remember it, you can remember it wrong

(Medical Xpress)—Native peoples in regions where cameras are uncommon sometimes react with caution when their picture is taken. The fear that something must have been stolen from them to create the photo ...

B vitamins could delay dementia

(Medical Xpress)—Despite spending billions of dollars on research and development, drug companies have been unable to come up with effective treatments for dementia and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Now, A. ...

New sleeping pill poised to hit US markets

An experimental sleeping pill from US drug company Merck is effective at helping people fall and stay asleep, according to reviewers at the US Food and Drug Administration, which could soon approve the new drug.

Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells

Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes.

Reducing caloric intake delays nerve cell loss

Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May ...

Antidepressant reduces stress-induced heart condition

A drug commonly used to treat depression and anxiety may improve a stress-related heart condition in people with stable coronary heart disease, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.