Whatever impact this increased attention on drug safety may have had among drug development professionals, US clinical investigators are concerned about SAE reporting.An experienced clinical investigator commented: "I worry about how we report adverse events. The issue has become more and more important for everyone. If I can’t be sure if these reports get to the right people quickly enough Clinical Trials, I am going to be careful which trials I accept." Patient Recruitment is A Problem Many drug development professionals consider patient recruitment to be a major obstacle in completing successful clinical trials in a timely manner. For a substantial minority of sites patient recruitment is an important operational issue. A Washington DC investigator succinctly stated the concern: "Difficulty in recruiting participants is the major snag in performing these studies". A Texas physician echoed the sentiment: "We have been participating in clinical trials since 1991 and if there was anything that is difficult for us, it is patient recruitment. I would like to have a better system in place for recruitment." Clinical Trial
Investigators are less dissatisfied with other areas such as the amount of time the study monitor spends at the site. Even smaller numbers are dissatisfied with what they are expected to do for tracking clinical trial supplies or conducting study close-out activities.