Best Practices In Site Feasibility Studies Can Set the Stage For A Healthy Trial

By Conor Hale

Well-performed, confident site feasibility studies, at times a tedious, thankless task, can become the single most important factor in reducing costs and time spent during a clinical trial, according to Wes Martz, associate director of WCG ePharma Solutions.

Leading causes of study delays and busted budgets — startup timelines, enrollment issues and attrition — can be mitigated through a comprehensive, centralized and transparent site evaluation process, said Martz, during a WCG webinar on best practices.

In addition, crowdsourced feedback from feasibility surveys can give sponsors, CROs, service providers and investigative sites the opportunity to re-calibrate their operations.

With wider adoption of benchmarking and other clinical trial management tools, sponsors know exactly how many sites they may need, which then turns feasibility processes into what is essentially a job interview, he said. That makes site pre-identification essential for efficient study startup.