Making CT.gov Work for You - a podcast by Brad Hightower
from 2020-05-18T18:29:29
For full show notes with screen shots, please visit our website at http://www.notetofilepodcast.com
When I first started in clinical research, I worked for a well-established neurology department at a university. At the time, it seemed like studies just flowed in without having to pursue them - until they didn’t. Faculty came and went. Research staff had turned over. Suddenly, we needed studies - bad!
At the time, I had no idea what I was doing. I took to clinicaltrials.gov and started sorting, reviewing and emailing any and all contacts that seemed appropriate. It was a tedious process. My response rate was abysmal and most the replies I did manage to get were saying the study was not adding sites. However, over time, I did manage to bring in some studies and get things slowly back on track.
This is a method that I still use today. Everyone should. Truthfully, it is often no less frustrating. I have managed to make some beneficial relationships and land some great studies though. One thing that made the search so much easier was creating an RSS feed that sent me all newly posted studies. I didn’t have to spend as much time filtering through every study every day.
Here are the steps for setting up an RSS feed so that you can spend less time clicking around on ct.gov:
Step 1: Navigate to www.clinicaltrials.gov and click on “Advanced Search”.
I personally use Feedly as my reader as it also pulls in any news sites you wish to add. From here I can keep up with the latest news and any new leads from clinicaltrials.gov all from one place.
That’s it. Pretty easy, right? However, this has made a big impact on how much time I spend trolling around ct.gov. What are your tips and tricks for better utilizing ct.gov?
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