The impact of clinical trial units on the value of clinical research in Switzerland.

The impact of clinical trial units on the value of clinical research in Switzerland. Swiss Med Wkly. 2018 Apr 26;148:w14615 Authors: von Niederhäusern B, Magnin A, Pauli-Magnus C Abstract A prominent 2014 series by The Lancet on "Increasing value, reducing waste in biomedical research" provided recommendations on how to optimise precious resources, including in clinical research. Despite being ideally placed to lead the movement in patient-oriented clinical research, academia struggles to take corresponding measures and find ways to evaluate their impact. A decade ago, Swiss stakeholders established constructive initiatives to improve the quality of clinical research, including a national Clinical Trial Unit (CTU) Network, predominantly rooted in university hospitals. At the 10th anniversary of this network (2007-2017), we reflect on the CTUs' trajectory and review whether - and how - they have been successful in improving the value of clinical research conducted in Switzerland. Anonymised surveys with involved clinical research stakeholder institutions and CTU customers at university hospitals suggest that the CTU Network has positively influenced the quality of academic clinical research. Future goals should include standardised education on Good Clinical Practice; the establishing of an audit function; the positioning of the network as an "entrance gate" for international trials; and support for young scientists launching their c...
Source: Swiss Medical Weekly - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Swiss Med Wkly Source Type: research