Evaluating follow-up and complexity in cancer clinical trials (EFACCT): an eDelphi study of research professionals’ perspectives

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Evaluating Follow-Up and Complexity in Cancer Clinical Trials (EFACCT): An eDelphi study of research professionals’ perspectives

Cancer clinical research is crucial to advancing patient care and treatment options and forms part of a dynamic and complex healthcare and innovation system. Rapid scientific advances in immunotherapy, precision medicine and stratified treatments and growing patient populations are adding to the complexity of delivering clinical trials in hospital settings. This paper looks at the challenges and complexities experienced by clinical trial professionals managing the delivery of patient-facing research studies at NHS hospital sites in England and Scotland.

This study aimed to evaluate patient follow-up and complexity in cancer clinical trial delivery through a novel Singerian Delphi study consensus process which is holistic, multimodal and dialectical. The approach aimed to incorporate diverse knowledge and experiences of multiple stakeholders in developing a prismatic view of cancer research delivery and in identifying complexity attributes which will contribute to the design of an evaluation tool supporting operational decision-making and strategic planning. Qualitative aspects of the research provided ‘in-depth’ grounded knowledge through the voices of clinical trial professionals, articulating the human and social aspects of research delivery. Additionally, the study developed consensus-defined trial rating and complexity indicator categories to support objective analysis of cancer research delivery.

Authors: Helene Markham Jones, Dr Ffion Curtis, Professor Graham Law, Professor Christopher Bridle, Dorothy Boyle, Professor Tanweer Ahmed.


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