Yet site selection continues to gravitate toward familiar research sites, while many healthcare organizations with access to large and heterogeneous patient populations remain outside the research enterprise.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with life sciences sponsors and a range of research sites, this ACRP Special Report examines the realities behind that disconnect—the forces that perpetuate familiar approaches, the challenges facing emerging and non-traditional sites, and the opportunities for meaningful change.
Site selection is more than an operational decision. It is a strategic determinant of whether clinical trials can achieve their scientific, commercial, and societal goals.
What the research reveals:
Why the ‘revolving door’ of familiar sites persists, even when sponsors recognize the strategic need to broaden their site networks.
Why not all emerging sites are the same, and why different site models, capabilities and levels of experience require different approaches.
What it really takes to become research-ready, including the operational and financial realities facing sites seeking to build and sustain research capability.
The untapped research potential of care-centric settings, particularly for common chronic conditions, where community-based providers may offer access to large, naturally heterogeneous patient populations and established relationships of trust.
Where current site-selection processes create barriers, from reliance on prior experience to feasibility approaches that may disadvantage unfamiliar site models.
How sponsors can move from intent to action, through more strategic site selection, clearer pathways for cultivating new sites, and incentives that support broader site engagement in practice.
Download this Special Report >