Author: MRN
The MRN Site Network team had the privilege of attending the 2nd annual Save our Sites conference this year in Oklahoma. The SOS event focused on connecting, learning and innovating to address small research site challenges; deep diving into the real issues faced by clinical sites, from patient recruitment to budget constraints, and more.
These issues and challenges are what MRN’s global Site Network is looking to address and what we learned at the SOS event has reinforced that our Site Network’s mission and purpose – bringing clinical trials closer to patients by engaging and empowering sites in the heart of their own communities, focusing on providing sites with solutions tailored to enhance each individual site’s operational delivery and efficiency – is exactly what’s needed by sites today.
While a common theme for discussions was the need for understanding that each site will have its unique needs in order for them to successfully deliver a trial, it is the next step in the process that sites need even more support with – greater opportunities to obtain trials and be visible to sponsors. The key is to find ways to offer support in both preparing a site to be research-ready and ensuring that they have the opportunity to take on such research, both are relevant to the services MRN’s Site Network is focused on offering sites.
This support will look like:
- Development of appropriate training and research readiness for new sites so they can establish themselves and secure their first studies.
- Helping sites navigate relationships with Sponsors, identifying what sponsors and CROs are looking for in a site and how sites can stand out when competing for trials, and complete and throughout feasibility assessments, increasing their chance for selection.
- Speeding up the start-up process by identifying ways to speed up contracting.
- On-going support throughout the length of start-up and length of the trial, having a partner in their trial delivery to allow them to navigate various industry, trial, or protocol hurdles.
- Equipping sites with the right solutions, Site Professional Support, Home Trial Support, clinical research technology or a customized solution, so they can better recruit diverse patient populations and ensure equitable access to trials in their communities.
- Supporting new sites not owned by a Physician Investigator (PI) to bring more, or help staffing PIs and research professionals to those sites for their trials.
- A team focused on the benefit to the sites, what their goals are and how, together we can work towards achieving those goals, for example, bringing income into sites.
Individualized, continued support to our sites and engagement with our sites is critical. For sites to be successful in research they need actionable strategies to navigate regulatory complexities, to understand and be supported on protocol adherence, and should be equipped with the appropriate staff resources, as well as technological solutions.
The SOS even made it clear what Site Networks should offer sites:
- Admission at no cost
- Feasibility assistance
- Research readiness & start-up support
- Recruitment & retention solutions
- Staff & resourcing support
- Technology to run the trial
Overall, this event proved again the need for such a platform where stakeholders can come together for an open dialogue focused on creating real, tangible solutions for sites.
Our team had extremely productive networking opportunities and discussions with representatives from Pharma Sponsors and research sites, from across the US. These focused on identifying ways MRN’s solutions would be of benefit to sites and sponsors alike. Further the team made great connections with other service providers that are seeking to do the same.
SOS highlighted the growing need for guidance and site support in site start-up, study acquisition, and staffing, along with the importance of strong networks and resources for sites. We look forward to seeing more from SOS as they continue to create a space to ask questions, share challenges, and drive solutions.