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Why Simulations Should be a Part of the Clinical Research & Trials

Clinical research generates conclusions that are of great essence for the healthcare industry. Dissecting the clinical research, one of its phases that play a vital role in answering questions related to the effectiveness of new drugs and medical devices is the clinical trial. The occurrence of mistakes in clinical trials can be devastating and may even lead to patient injury.

Looking at the current stats, the probability of the success of a clinical trial is very low. What is the reason for such inefficiency? Lack of training and use of didactic methods to train the staff conducting trials are the main causes behind the unsatisfactory performance of clinical trials. Moreover, it is often observed that the sponsors of the clinical trails only provide the basic support to the investigators. Consequently, the staff is unclear about the protocols and thus increases the chance of failure of a study.

Investments involved in the clinical research & trials are enormous, so why the sponsors are not opting for advanced training technologies such as simulation in healthcare industry. The answer is obvious, they are unsure about the results. Considering many multi-billion dollar industries like military and space agencies, they are using simulation technology to train their personnel from a long time. In fact, it is the result of simulation training that the chances of the failure of their programs are suppressed manifold times.

By adopting simulation in healthcare industry particularly in the training of clinical research people, the chances of human errors can drop significantly. Personnel involved in clinical research have to unlearn the old and ineffective ways of training.

Simulation training can be the answer to increase the probability of success regarding clinical trials. Nonetheless, some of the key benefits of using simulation in clinical research are as follows:

•    Provides real-world training for both the clinical sites and the subjects
•    Reduced study time
•    Able to conduct site feasibility
•    Prediction and avoidance of study related errors

It is high time for the healthcare industry to integrate and utilize simulation technology, especially in the field of clinical research. Simulations have already proven to be effective in other industries such as airlines and military. Thus, it is better to take risk of using new technology rather than relying on an ineffective one.

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