Clinical research questions almost always require a team with diverse skills and expertise. An important step is to assemble a team with the right composition to help develop your research question into a robust clinical trial. Understanding your own personal research skills and attributes will help you build the right team with the necessary skills and expertise.

  • Do you have a team with necessary skills and experience to undertake the clinical trial?
  • Consider potential collaborators who can add value to your clinical trial?
    • Start conversations with others; the outcomes and activities may range in scale from simple discussions through to significant long-term partnerships
    • Consider if and when collaborations should be agreed and documented in a formal agreement. Formal agreements may include confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements or a Memorandum of Understanding.
    • Are you able to collaborate with other clinicians in your broader community so you can include participants in rural, regional and remote communities?
    • You may also consider providing opportunities to build future research capacity by engaging with and mentoring interested co-workers, researchers and research students.
    • Can your clinical trial provide deeper value to patients and the healthcare system by exploring other facets of the question at hand? For example, would a health economic analysis of the trial help with future implementation? Are there fundamental biology questions that your clinical trial could help answer – do you need to engage with basic scientists, or collect biospecimens through a biobank?
    • Can you add value to your clinical trial by examining the health-related quality of life or elements of the patient experience, who people in your clinical trial interact with the healthcare system?

Previous

Research Feasibility

Next

Peer Review