Clinical research associate (CRA) is a health-care professional who performs numerous activities related to medical research, particularly clinical trials. To differentiate the role of a CRA in 2017 to what a CRA role will look like ten years from now one must focus on the increasing use of technology, as well as the application of risk-based monitoring (RBM) strategies and direct data entry with a more flexible and transient clinical research environment supported by technologies and solutions that will permit clinical monitoring to be conducted anywhere, at any time.
CRAs travels to clinical sites where trials are being conducted to ensure that all activities relating to the trial is in compliance with the clinical trial protocol and ICH-GCP
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Ten years from now with the adaptation of the direct data entry there will be a research environment where the traditional on-site monitoring visit may not exist and one where virtual remote monitoring will be integrated. Virtual remote monitoring will allow CRAs to manage clinical trial participation using electronic tools and allowing CRAs to monitor the clinical trial regardless of their distance to clinical sites. The use of web-based technology and direct data entry will allow the review of pertinent data collected for the trial, such as informed consents, source, EMR, regulatory documents, etc in real-time without the traditional onsite …show more content…
Investigators Sites are responsible for running the trial day in and day out. Without sites, there are no subjects and there is no trial. The relationship between the CRA and Investigator Site is one of the most overlooked relationship in clinical research. With the concept of envisioning the future of clinical research, CRAs should believe that finding the right Investigator Sites and keeping them happy is the key to ensuring trials stay on track and the data is of the highest quality. Even if they are one-time investigators, eventually, despite the variables, the shared goals of patient safety and accurate data will drive the success of the relationship. The self-motivation will help ship focus on building relationships and partnership with Investigator Sites to help align their projects or studies for success. This assures strong, successful performance, just as confrontational or passive behavior contribute to negative study performance. One is incomplete without the other. One requires the other to come to a resolution, complete and fulfill all study requirements. This relationship is pivotal to site and Sponsor
The data utilized for trial analysis are maintained anonymous, however the trial management data carry personal identifiers for conduct of study and to ensure patient safety. The patient source data is encrypted and password protected allowing access to authorized personnel and prevents transfer to electronic media device. The list of authorized personnel will be maintained in the Trial Master File. The audit trails captures all activities pertaining to conduct of clinical trials and tracks changes performed to data. The date and time stamp used impede chances of misuse. On completion of the trial, the data will be locked using DMS file locking facility to prevent tampering of
The IRB is an administrative body which has been established to make sure research participants' rights are protected. IRBs review all aspects of the researchers' project: the study design, the recruitment process, the participant population, the informed consent document and process, the risk/benefit ratio, privacy and confidentiality, data storage and protection, and safeguards for vulnerable participants (University of St. Francis, n.d.). In this way, participants' rights are protected because the effort is made even before the research begins. The review process ensures that participants are chosen fairly and informed adequately and the information collected during research is safeguarded through collection, use, and storage. Research using human participants is such an important part of medicine that it is imperative it is performed in a way that its intrigue is not compromised.
“Behind every great nurse there is a running CNA.” This statement is true, however only in the long-term care setting of nursing homes. Certified Nursing Assistants/Aides can be found in different settings, as well. Such as, hospice environments, and the homes of those seeking home healthcare. In each environment, CNA’s are important to the patients receiving their care.
Some health care worker have perceptual barriers on research. They have a perception that research and clinical cannot mix as the parameters that were set in an RCT would not be translatable to the actual hospital or clinic setting. There is also a perception that, where would a patient with multiple past medical history, fit into such research findings (10).
Practicing in the medical field is a respectable profession, since its main goal is to help others when they are in need. Although, I’m not sure of what job I will have, I do know that it will be in the field of medicine. I hope through the mentoring program I will be able to decide if a Certified Medical Assistant is the job for me.
O'Brien (2013) defines RCT as a research technique that has been through the ages. It first was applied in medical studies. Today, it is a quantitative method widely used in clinical trials where participants answer or confirm a research question. Clinical trials that are designed with RCT in a medical context focus on prioritizing the protecting of human participants with the aid of ethical criteria; however, at the discretion of the researcher (O'Brien, 2013).
The idea behind conforming to evidenced based practices is that research is the most likely tool to improve patient
Tunis S., Stryer D., Clancy C. Increasing the Value of Clinical Research for Decision Making in Clinical and Health Policy. JAMA. 2003;290(12): 1624-1632
This protocol is designed according to the guidelines provided by the regulatory authority. The guidelines describe in detail how sponsors can ensure that their trials or studies comply with the required pharmacovigilance regulations. Since reporting of adverse events is considered to be the most common activity performed by sponsors with respect to pharmacovigilance in clinical trials, the guidelines also explain how the reports on adverse events during the trial are to be provided by the sponsor to the regulatory
While a clinical research coordinator exudes many diverse skills, I envision some changes to the core competencies that will be required in order to be successful in coordinating clinical trials that are technologically advanced globally. For example, some clinical research coordinators can be more dependent on charting and paper derived source. With the continued advancements in technology, these coordinators may soon develop the comfort and security to working more independently as patient centered technologies are developed to be more innovative and user friendly. A coordinator who is adaptable and flexible to incorporating new skills will enhance and accentuate the technological growth both strategically and globally. New skills will include employees becoming more proficient in informational and diagnostic technology and problem solving skills.
This paper intends to summarize the most relevant clinical research stakeholders and their role: government, industry, and subject (NIH
Designing and conducting a registry study is not much different than executing a clinical study. All the basic elements of design, planning, and project management are available in both patient registry and clinical study. There is a lack of agreement standards for registry studies so it is difficult to find guidance on how to do them. Registry studies are observational and clinical studies are investigational. The foreseeable features of registries are effectiveness and efficacy.
Additionally, this association emphasizes collaboration between physicians and members of other professions working on applications of scientific methods in clinical practice and research. Overall, the goal of ACS is to encourage professional development, scientific stature, ethical standards, and collegiality of clinical scientists. Current Issue: The Association of Clinical Scientists has a highly regarded journal known as Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science,
Clinical research analysts play a key role in conducting research. They bring their science or medical education and background, analytical skills and scientific research into the clinical setting to conduct a wide variety of research. Clinical research analysts job descriptions are often referred to as “monitoring” as they are mainly responsible for conducting the research and following it through. Clinical research analysts ensure that the research is being done ethically correct, recording accurate data and meeting all the correct guidelines (Kunal Shah, 2012). The clinical research industry has given several different titles to those who conduct these clinical trials such as Clinical Research Associate (CRA), Senior CRA and Clinical Trial Assistant (CTA), however CRA’s are mainly responsible for the main course work in conducting and
Reliability and validity are ways to demonstrate the trustworthiness in current research (Roberts et el, 2006). If healthcare professionals change their clinical practice based off research, then the results from the data should be honest and free from errors. Think about the implications, in my institution, we are ready to change the way we use Exparel in post–op pain management based of the data that I help collect with a resident over a two year period. We spent countless of hours not only collecting the data but analyzing with the help of a biostatistician and pharmacy to ensure that are numbers were correct. Our team knew that our results must be honest and trustworthy because patients care would be effected by our research.