Recently, Ryan Mazon, Vice President of Business Development for Array, moderated a panel discussion, “Leveraging Meaningful Metrics Collected During Investigator Meetings to Elevate Clinical Trial Outcomes,” hosted by Marcus Evans. He was joined by speakers Patrice Horwath, Vice President of Clinical Operations at Nflection Therapeutics, and Saimah Awan, EVP of Meeting Operations with Scout. The webinar focused on how to get actionable data from investigator meetings to be confident everyone is trained, as well as to inform future meetings and studies.
The discussion began by addressing how data is currently gathered and used during meetings, and if that data is actionable. Mazon pointed out that technology has grown significantly since 2017 or so, when technology “started and ended with conference apps focused on networking and some data collection but wasn’t robust enough to give stakeholders any information for process improvement after the fact.”
In looking at the benefits of data that can be collected today, Horwath said, “You already have metrics within your company if you’ve run previous studies on a certain indication. It’s always good to look at lessons learned—for example, areas you may need improvement—and focus those topics at the investigator meeting so you can sort of train around those if you will.” She provided the important topic of recruitment and enrollment as one example of where you might use metrics from previous meetings to learn more. “You can ask specific questions from surveys or small groups to understand where these investigators are with their studies and expectations.”
The panel also discussed the ability to test and ensure all participants understand study protocol and other key information presented in meetings before they leave the room. They pointed to the benefit of tools that let you not only track individual respondents to see if they answered correctly, but also gain insight into how they’re interpreting information. Awan shared how tools like gamification have made it easier than ever to get participants excited about engaging without feeling like they’re being tested. Focusing on getting valuable metrics, Mazon pointed to confidence-based learning to help ensure everybody accurately understands the correct answer and there aren’t simply good guessers in the room.
Looking at the post-Covid return to meetings, the panel discussed how meetings moved from virtual to in-person and hybrid. “An investigator’s time is limited, so if they can log on to a certain part of the agenda, that helps,” said Awan. “Hybrid is pretty much part of every meeting we do.”
Actionable insights can inform stakeholders of the effectiveness of investigator training during and immediately following the meeting. Speakers agreed this makes it easier to ensure the clinical trial’s success.
View the full webinar here to learn more about the techniques used to collect data and how the speakers use it to the greatest advantage.
