IHR & CTU Seminar: Measuring site performance in multicenter randomized trials

Large multicentre trials are complex and expensive projects. Researchers focus great efforts on achieving recruitment targets, but this alone does not ensure overall success of a study. Other important factors include how well sites retain participants, and whether they can collect high quality, complete data in a timely manner. There is no consensus on the key metrics that should be used to measure site performance. A standardised set of clear and accessible summaries of site performance could facilitate early identification and resolution of potential problems, minimising their impact.

We used a comprehensive, mixed methods approach that we adapted from the COMET Initiative for developing core outcome sets in order to identify potential metrics and achieve consensus about the final set. I will present methods and results of the different phases of the project, demonstrate a practical tool that we developed to display key metrics during a study, and discuss future use and evaluation of the core set.