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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Regulatory Science
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1513975
Study on knowledge, practices, and attitudes toward decentralized clinical trials among the clinical trial practitioners in China
Provisionally accepted- 1 Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- 2 North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan Province, China
Background: Studies on the application of decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) in China are limited. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of clinical trial practitioners in China towards DCTs. Method: An anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted from November 1st to November 30th, 2023. A total of 621 valid questionnaires were collected, including 227 completed by Clinical Research Associates (CRAs), 150 by Clinical Research Coordinators (CRCs), and 244 by Program Managers (PMs).. Results: The majority of respondents possessed basic knowledge of DCTs and showed a high willingness to participate, but their practice experience was limited, with a relatively high level of practice experience in internet recruitment. Respondents were more interested in the improvement of patients' rights brought by DCTs, such as more opportunities for clinical trials. Technical barriers and data reliability were the main barriers to implementation. Conclusions: Clinical trial practitioners need to enhance their technical skills and knowledge about DCTs, enhance the overall level of the industry, and promote the better implementation and application of DCTs in China.
Keywords: Decentralized clinical trials, DCT, Remote clinical trial, Survey, questionnaire
Received: 31 Oct 2024; Accepted: 03 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shi, Bao, Pu, Jiang, Yan and Zheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hang Zheng, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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