The Critical Issues Sites Need to Track During a Clinical Trial

Congratulations! You have gone through all the necessary steps to launch a clinical trial. Now it’s time to move on to the next one, right? Wrong! A successfully managed clinical trial requires ongoing tracking throughout its duration. Careful tracking ensures your research organization remains compliant and that your site is compensated properly for the study.

Follow our series on the key critical issues you need to track throughout a clinical trial.

Part One — Protocol amendments

This is likely one of the most common and time-consuming of the issues that require tracking. A Tufts University study found that over half of sponsored studies have at least one significant amendment.

Protocol amendments are inevitable, and some trials undergo multiple amendments throughout their duration. But some revisions are so significant it could feel like starting all over again.

There are generally two kinds of protocol amendments — administrative updates and substantive protocol revisions. Administrative changes are typically minor, and may involve grammar, wordsmithing, punctuation or small editorial changes. Significant amendments are any changes that may impact the safety of participants, and can include any change to the design of the protocol, including:

  • Change to the dosing or duration of participant exposure to a drug
  • Change to the design of the protocol, such as the inclusion or exclusion criteria or the addition of treatment arms
  • Addition of new tests or procedures

IRB review and approval is required in order to carry out the visits and procedures that are part of the amended protocol. IRBs often require the following information when submitting an amendment:

  • A description of the differences between the original protocol and the amendment
  • Revisions to the informed consent, if applicable
  • Revisions to any marketing or patient recruitment materials

Informed consent

Protocol amendments can impact patient recruitment efforts. In fact, some protocol amendments may also affect a site’s ability to enroll if there are significant changes to inclusion or exclusion criteria. Often the consent form must also be revised to reflect the changes to the protocol. Patients may need to be re-consented with the updated, IRB approved version of the consent form so they can be made aware of changes in protocol procedures.

Budget impacts

Depending on the scope of the protocol amendment, your research site should review the study budget, as the necessary procedures may have changed or new procedures and visits may have been added. In our experience, amendments have an impact in roughly half of all study budgets. A full review of the budget, and possibly a revised Medicare Coverage Analysis, may be necessary.

Create a checklist

The more you prepare and plan for protocol amendments, the smoother the process to implement the amended protocol. The use of a checklist or systematic approach will ensure that no steps are overlooked.

Whenever there is a protocol amendment, clinical research coordinators should make sure they update the following:

  • IRB/IEC and other regulatory submissions
  • Informed consent documents, including oral consent scripts
  • Marketing, advertising or recruitment materials
  • Sponsor contract, particularly if there is an impact to the budget, and coverage analysis, if applicable

Studies have shown that protocol amendments can impact the cost and duration of clinical trials. But with some careful preparation, clinical research coordinators can ensure a smooth administration of the changes.