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Editorial
. 2017 Jul 6:4:14.
doi: 10.1186/s40814-017-0159-2. eCollection 2018.

Improving the efficiency of trials using innovative pilot designs: the next phase in the conduct and reporting of pilot and feasibility studies

Lehana Thabane  1 , Gillian Lancaster  2
Affiliations
Editorial

Improving the efficiency of trials using innovative pilot designs: the next phase in the conduct and reporting of pilot and feasibility studies

Lehana Thabane et al. Pilot Feasibility Stud. .

Erratum in

  • Erratum to: Pilot and Feasibility Studies, Vol. 4.
    Pilot and Feasibility Studies. Pilot and Feasibility Studies. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2017 Oct 24;3:48. doi: 10.1186/s40814-017-0183-2. eCollection 2017. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2017. PMID: 29123916 Free PMC article.

Abstract

With continuously increasing costs of conducting trials, use of innovative approaches-such as pragmatic trials, registry-based randomised trials, adaptive trials, personalised medicine trials, platform trials, and basket trials-to the design and conduct of clinical trials has been advocated as one of the most promising solutions. In this editorial, we propose that the next wave of feasibility or pilot studies should focus on assessing the feasibility of trials using these designs, which we see as an imperative in order to unleash their potential to reduce trial costs and accelerate the drug development process and the search for best treatments, so that the right treatments can be delivered as soon as possible to the right patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

Gillian Lancaster and Lehana Thabane are co-Editors-in-Chief of Pilot and Feasibility Studies.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

References

    1. Lancaster GA. Pilot and feasibility studies come of age! Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2015;1:1. doi: 10.1186/2055-5784-1-1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dolgin E. Publication checklist proposed to boost rigor of pilot trials. Nat Med. 2013;19(7):795–6. doi: 10.1038/nm0713-795. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Eldridge SM, Lancaster GA, Campbell MJ, Thabane L, Hopewell S, Coleman CL, et al. Defining feasibility and pilot studies in preparation for randomised controlled trials: development of a conceptual framework. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(3):e0150205. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150205. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Eldridge SM, Coleman CL, Campbell MJ, Hopewell S, Thabane L, Lancaster GA, et al. CONSORT 2010 statement: extension to randomised pilot and feasibility trials. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2016;2:64. doi: 10.1186/s40814-016-0105-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Eldridge SM, Coleman CL, Campbell MJ, Hopewell S, Thabane L, Lancaster GA, et al. CONSORT 2010 statement: extension to randomised pilot and feasibility trials. BMJ. 2016;355:i5239. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i5239. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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