Investigation of clinicians' satisfaction on clinical research associates / 中华医院管理杂志

Objective To investigate the satisfaction of clinicians on clinical research associates (CRA)and its influencing factors,for the purpose of providing rationalized proposals on education of CRAs.Methods 141 clinicians were randomly sampled from tertiary hospital for questionnaire survey,using the 5-point Likert scale.The survey covers 4 levels,i.e.,the work attitude,professional knowledge and ability,communication skills,and project management capabilities,as well as 14 dimensions.Data processing and statistics were analyzed using SPSS 15.0 software.The attribute characteristics of the investigation subjects were analyzed using x2 of the contingency table,along with analysis of its correlation with the general satisfaction on CRAs.Results The mean values of the 12 indicators range 2.28 to 3.75,with low satisfaction in general.Among these indicators,satisfaction of the service attitude of the CRA,and of their familiarity with the pilot program and CRF completion axe the highest,respectively,74.04％and 61.70％.Satisfaction of the rest 10 indicators falls below 50.00％.The chisquare analysis showed no association between satisfaction and gender,education,job titles.The satisfaction is different(P＜0.05)between those trained and those not,while there exists a significant differences(P＜0.01)between those participating in different number of tests.Conclusion Clinicians have a low satisfaction on CRAs.It is recommended to strengthen the training,establish a CRA occupation certification system,and to strengthen the clinicians' emphasis and competency of clinical trials.These actions will normalize the industry of clinical trials and improve the level of clinical trials in China.

Results of 2012 KoNECT Certification Program of the Human Resource Project

BACKGROUND: In recent years, clinical trials have considerably increased and relevant education programs to clinical trials have been developed and implemented since 2008 in Korea. To enhance the quality as well as global competitiveness of clinical trial professionals (CTPs), a certification program of the human resource is needed. Accordingly, in Korea the first and the second certification examinations were implemented in February and October 2012, respectively. In this paper, introduction of the certification program of the human resource is described, and results of the certification examinations and questionnaire survey are presented. METHODS: Data including the examination results and questionnaire survey was collected by cooperative officials in Korea National Enterprise for Clinical Trials. Applicants who were selected eligible for examination by the steering committee were asked to complete questionnaires provided with the test papers on the day of the certification examination. RESULTS: In the first certification examination, a total of 221 eligible participants completed the examination. 99.5 % of the participants responded the questionnaire survey. In the second examination, a total of 223 applicants participated. The examination consisted of 50 multiple-choice questions with cut-off score of 70 per cent score.176 & 194 CTPs passed the first & second examinations respectively. CONCLUSION: This paper that described the results of the two certification tests and questionnaire surveys might be helpful in establishment and activation of the certification program in the future. Quality improvement of CTPs and international competitiveness of clinical trial in Korea can be anticipated by the certification program.

Results of 2012 KoNECT Certification Program of the Human Resource Project

BACKGROUND: In recent years, clinical trials have considerably increased and relevant education programs to clinical trials have been developed and implemented since 2008 in Korea. To enhance the quality as well as global competitiveness of clinical trial professionals (CTPs), a certification program of the human resource is needed. Accordingly, in Korea the first and the second certification examinations were implemented in February and October 2012, respectively. In this paper, introduction of the certification program of the human resource is described, and results of the certification examinations and questionnaire survey are presented. METHODS: Data including the examination results and questionnaire survey was collected by cooperative officials in Korea National Enterprise for Clinical Trials. Applicants who were selected eligible for examination by the steering committee were asked to complete questionnaires provided with the test papers on the day of the certification examination. RESULTS: In the first certification examination, a total of 221 eligible participants completed the examination. 99.5 % of the participants responded the questionnaire survey. In the second examination, a total of 223 applicants participated. The examination consisted of 50 multiple-choice questions with cut-off score of 70 per cent score.176 & 194 CTPs passed the first & second examinations respectively. CONCLUSION: This paper that described the results of the two certification tests and questionnaire surveys might be helpful in establishment and activation of the certification program in the future. Quality improvement of CTPs and international competitiveness of clinical trial in Korea can be anticipated by the certification program.

The Study of Education and Qualification for the Maintenance of Clinical Research Associate (CRA) Professionalism

BACKGROUND: The aim of the current study is to investigate perspectives on the quality and validity of the current clinical research associate (CRA) education program. The trainee program of other healthcare professions including medical doctors, registered nurses, and pharmacists, has been already reviewed as an advance research. Thus, the current study evaluates the CRA education system to assist in building a more suitable CRA education infrastructure in the future. METHODS: A questionnaire was handed out to CRAs with at least 3 months working experience among 30 pharmaceutical corporations, and 10 Contract Research Organizations (CROs) affiliated with the Korean Pharmaceutical Association and the Korean Clinical Research Committee. A total of 118 questionnaires were utilized for data analysis. RESULTS: The poll shows that 93.2 % of the survey participants consider the role of a CRA as a specialized healthcare profession and 58.6 % of those respondents reason that becoming a CRA requires specialized knowledge. 95.9 % of survey participants attend a CRA trainee program for the maintenance of CRA professionalism. The respondents are inclined to attend the Government hosted CRA education program. 59.3 % of survey participants answered that implementing a CRA qualification system is necessary to establish a CRA specialty validation. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrates the importance of qualification and what is necessary for being a CRA. The study result will provide a guideline for those who wish to become a CRA as part of their career. In addition, the result will also be used in developing an improved CRA education program in the future.