Implementation of the Australasian Teletrial Model: Lessons from practice

Abstract

The Australasian Tele-trial Model (ATM) involves the use of telehealth technology to conduct clinical trials at satellite sites. Under the direction of state governments, led by Queensland Health (QH) and the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA), a streamlined process for review, authorisation and conduct of the teletrials model has been developed. Some state governments and cancer centres around the country have developed new standard operating procedures (SOPs) to incorporate teletrials into routine practice. Queensland Health has undertaken reforms in governance and contract approval processes to facilitate its implementation in Queensland. Several pharmaceutical companies and trial groups have begun incorporating teletrials into trial protocols to enhance rural and regional access to trials, access to rare cancer trials even within a metropolitan setting and overall rate of recruitment.

Several cancer centres around the country have begun embedding this model as part of their strategic and operational plans and several state departments of health have established steering committees to drive state-wide adoption. The National Mutual Acceptance (NMA) is currently coordinating the review and development of a standardised teletrials subcontract with the outcome that the teletrials subcontract will be adopted by Medicines Australia as a standard template to use with their suite of other standard clinical trial agreements.

This supplement covers various aspects of the concept of the Australasian Tele-trial Model and its implementation, to share our experiences with those who would like to adopt this model as part of their routine practice and to encourage more uptake across the nation thus placing the patient at the centre of healthcare.