Starting clinical research is hard. Sticking with it can be harder. Many practices run one study and never run another. Understanding why helps any practice build a research program that lasts.
The one-and-done problem
A study of the FDA's investigator database found that of more than 172,000 investigators who filed a Form FDA 1572 between 1999 and 2015, about 49.6% participated in only one trial (Corneli et al., Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2019). Half of new investigators leave research after their first experience.
Why practices quit
1. The workload lands on physicians
Without enough support staff, paperwork, queries, and scheduling spill onto physicians' schedules. Research starts to feel like a second job.
2. Coordinator turnover
When a single coordinator leaves mid-study, the site can stall. Recruiting and training a replacement takes months, and enrollment suffers in the meantime.
3. The wrong studies
Studies that don't match the practice's patients enroll slowly, which frustrates everyone and damages the relationship with the sponsor.
4. The money doesn't work
Unnegotiated budgets, slow payments, and unbilled visits can make research lose money, even when the study goes well clinically. See clinical research revenue: what independent practices should know.
5. Regulatory burden
IRB submissions, amendments, binder maintenance, and monitoring visits add up. Without systems in place, the burden feels overwhelming.
6. No steady pipeline
If one study ends and no new one starts, the team disperses and the momentum is lost.
How to make research last
Protect physician time: give investigators the medical work and move the administrative work to trained staff.
Plan for coverage: have more than one person who can run a study, so vacations and departures don't stop it.
Choose studies carefully: match studies to real patient counts and say no to poor fits.
Negotiate and track money: negotiate every budget, track every visit, and invoice promptly.
Use standard systems: SOPs, templates, and central regulatory support reduce the load of each new study.
Keep a pipeline: line up the next study before the current one ends.
Why partnerships help
Many of these problems come down to scale. A single practice can struggle to justify a full research team, backup coordinators, and central regulatory staff. An integrated research organization spreads those resources across many partner sites, which makes research sustainable for each one.
Greg Van Horn is the founder and CEO of Whizz Health.
Want to see what research could look like in your practice? See if your practice qualifies →
Insights
