Conflicts of interest and the clinical investigator

A conflict of interest (COI) can erode the judgment of clinical research professionals, leading to questions about their professionalism and integrity. Every professional has a COI. It could be an interest in a promo­tion, a financial collaboration, or a need to gain more research funding or be published in a medical journal. The May 2, 2017, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) looked at the issue of COI; one topic addressed biomedical researchers and the difference between financial and nonfinancial possible biases.

The need for, and barriers to, adopting eSource

Electronic data collection responsi­bility borne by investigative sites to support each clinical trial is onerous, with little to no relief in sight. In many instances, these responsi­bilities are being managed at the same time that paper data collection pro­cesses are prevalent. Sites are inputting medical and medication information into electronic medical records (EMR), data into elec­tronic data collection (EDC) systems, and site personnel are creating and completing study-specific source data document templates to capture case report form (CRF) and site activity and management data.

To read the full articles for this issue of Research Practitioner, please click here for subscription information.