Professional Documents
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Site Success
a guide from
Introduction
Companies dont make decisions. People do.
What are the best ways to grow your study pipeline? The best strategies leverage an understanding of the motivations and perceptions of the people making the decisions.
Srini Kalluri
with many world-class clinical research organizations for more than a decade. This eBook is the result of the combined wisdom of the participants from the round table discussions, expert advice from some of our associates in the field, and what we have seen work for many of our successful customers. Because companies dont make decisions and people do, we know that applying some of the following strategies will help you grow your study pipeline for long-term and sustainable success.
Founder, President, CEO and Chief Customer Officer at Forte Research Systems
On a Saturday afternoon in October at a Site Solutions Summit, hosted by RxTrials Institute (RxTi), two roundtable discussions were held on the topic of 10 Ways to Grow Your Study Pipeline. I facilitated these roundtables along with Siobhan Rowe from PAREXEL International. As an organization, we at Forte Research Systems have had the good fortune to work
Table of Contents
SECTION 1
Know Yourself
Diversify thoughtfully.
When you want to enter new therapeutic areas, start as sub-investigator to build the experience before you go it on your own.
Less is More
The oft-cited adage of less is more can be applied to several different concepts, but it is certainly appropriate in the context of study selection by sites. There exists the temptation by some to take on as many studies as possible in an effort to gain recognition among sponsors. However, there are pitfalls associated with this approach if you cannot successfully manage an inflated trial portfolio that puts extensive demands on your available resources. In contrast, a conservative and considerate approach to study selection can achieve greater overall benefits. Christine Pierre, President of the Society for Clinical Research Sites, a trade organization representing the voice of research sites, and who has more than 20 years of consultation experience with site directors, comments, Sites are often afraid that if they turn a study down, for any reason, the sponsor or CRO may not come back to the site with future opportunities, she said. Nothing could be further from the truth. The partnership between the sites and sponsors and CROs is based on the need for complete honesty from the site regarding their ability to successfully conduct the study with high quality and meet enrollment targets.
Sites are often afraid that if they turn a study down, for any reason, the sponsor or CRO may not come back to the site with future opportunities...Nothing could be further from the truth.
~ Christine Pierre, President, Society for Clinical Research Sites
Be in the 20%.
Only 20% of the sites deliver on their recruitment targets. Be one of them. Under promise and over deliver!
It is critical for todays sites to use technology to their advantage to identify and contact potential subjects.
~ Adam Chasse, MHA, Chief Operating Officer, RxTrials
Discover Opportunities
SECTION 2
Get to the right person and sell yourself. Talk about your database, recruitment capabilities, number of doctors, certifications of coordinators, etc. Get the keywords out that you have a quality database and methodology.
~ Site Solutions Summit Roundtable Attendee
We instituted an exit interview program to market what our site can do beyond what the monitors expect or already know.
~ Site Solutions Summit Roundtable Attendee
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SECTION 3
Educate Prospects
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Follow-up!
Stay in touch with people you meet. It cant be all about you. Offer them something they care about such as an SOP, or advice.
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Divide and Conquer: Focus on your Website and on Social Media Separately
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, blogging, your website with so many interactive options available for users today, planning an online strategy to reach the right audience may seem overwhelming, at first. Jennifer Whitlock, Vice President at Clinical Site Services (CSS), a GlobalSite Performance Company with services focused on managing the clinical trial patient enrollment process, points out that focusing your efforts in two key areasyour website and social media can help make this a more manageable endeavor.
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Sponsors and CROs In trying to reach and appeal to the sponsors and CROs who are viewing your website for possible site selection, you will want to convey the following key points: Experience PI CVs and bios Regular updates Other Necessary Content Overall, your website should also include: Company news Events Keyword-dense content
You want to impact a reader so that your information will be liked, shared, retweeted, commented on, or repinned. Additionally, you want to share information that helps to bring value to your readers.
~ Jennifer Whitlock, Vice President, Clinical Site Services
Social Media
Gaining a foothold in social media can be best accomplished if you keep one key goal in mind: to have meaningful interactions with your audience. You want to impact a reader so that your information will be liked, shared, retweeted, commented on, or repinned. Additionally, you want to share information that helps to bring value to your readers, says Whitlock. Navigating social media is best done with a focused plan in mind. You cant be all things to all people, so choose your social media vehicles carefully. You will likely want to choose a few of the more popular outlets such as: Facebook Twitter
Site Success | Forte Research Systems 19
LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest A commitment to providing regular, meaningful content can best be accomplished by developing an editorial calendar to keep you on track. Its easy to create a Facebook page or Twitter accountthe hard part is to feed it regularly!
In Summary
Digital media changes so quickly that it often seems overwhelming if you havent included it as part of your marketing activity. Start small, be consistent, and grow your efforts as time goes on. As online activity becomes more and more prevalent in our world, your site will reap the rewards of being a digital leader.
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SECTION 4
Demonstrate Excellence
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opportunities to implement performance metrics in order to support continuous improvement strategies at the site level remain numerous. Because sites conduct so much of the daily work, there is a wealth of information that can be collected about processes such as study startup and patient accrual rates.
Learn more.
To learn more about site-centric metrics see, Pinpoint and Market Your Competitive Advantages with Metrics, by Linda Sullivan, Vice President of Operations, Metrics Champion Consortium, et. al. at the link below. http://forteresearch.com/news/pinpoint-and-market-your-competitiveadvantages-with-metrics-2
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Stand out!
The Study Feasibility Questionnaire is an opportunity.
Do you fill out all the requested information? Do you provide supplemental information that showcases what a great site you will be?
Get noticed!
Do you attend conferences and share your expertise with others? Do you participate in online dialog through writing blogs or at least commenting on them?
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