Factors that contribute to participation in clinical trials

The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) conducts multi-site clinical trials in drug abuse treatment centers to test the effectiveness and generalizability of pharmacological and behavioral therapies for drug addiction. What contributes to a site's decision to participate in clinical trials or what supports or hinders implementation of the trials is unclear. To begin to understand such questions, the CTN conducts interviews with the site directors and collects workforce and organizational data at participating sites prior to implementing new trials. Data was conducted at 37 sites representing 4 trials. Interviews were conducted with each site Director to better understand the environments in which the trials would be implemented. Qualitative data suggest that many directors saw the value in becoming involved in the CTN and the importance of contributing to evidence-based practice. Having adequate funding, training, and staff buy-in were viewed as being essential to the success of implementation. Complexity of the protocol and disruption of the current environment were seen as potentially hindering the success of the protocol. Further analysis will link site data with patient outcomes. It is essential to understand what factors contribute to an organization's decision to participate in clinical trials. This understanding will allow for more generalizable research findings in the future by representing participants from various clinical environments.