Clinical Teams

What is a teletrial?

A teletrial is a group of clinical trial sites that work together to conduct a clinical trial under the supervision of a Primary Site.

A teletrial uses telehealth technology to communicate between the Primary Site and Satellite Site/s and enable delivery of aspects of a clinical trial closer to home for patients particularly in regional, rural and remote locations. A Principal Investigator supervises Associate Investigator/s to conduct a clinical trial at a Satellite Site which is geographically remote from the Principal Investigator’s Primary Site.

The Principal Investigator remains responsible for the trial. A detailed Supervision Plan is required, in addition to a Delegation Log required by ICH GCP for all Satellite Sites regardless of experience. Trial participants may have trial visits at both the Primary and Satellite Sites, as determined by the Protocol and Supervision Plan.

The conduct of the trial is detailed under the ‘head agreement’ (Clinical Trial Research Agreement/Clinical Trial Agreement) between the Sponsor and the Principal Investigator’s Institution and a Sub-Contract between the Primary Site and the Satellite Site Institutions (see Clinical Trial Research Agreement – Tele Trials Subcontract).

Benefits

What are the benefits?

Equitable Access

Patients have equitable access to cutting edge potential new treatments

Recruitment & Retention

Potential for improvement in patient recruitment and retention

Range of Trials

Access to a wider range of clinical trials by participating as a satellite site

Support & Guidance

Assistance with clinical trial supervision plans between sites, regulatory applications and research ethics and governance submissions, contract negotiations and other sponsor requirements

Collaboration & Clusters

Increased collaboration and communication between metropolitan and rural, regional and remote hospitals as well as primary health networks through the implementation of clinical trial clusters

Capacity & Skills

Increased clinical trials capacity in Australia – clinicians and healthcare workers in rural, regional and remote healthcare settings will develop new skills and enhance existing skills in conducting clinical trials

Support

What support is available to teletrial sites?

Under the Australian Teletrial Program, Regional Clinical Trial Coordinating Centre (RCCC) teams have been established to provide state-based support.

This includes:

Providing operational support to ensure rural, regional and remote sites
have the opportunity, capacity and capability to participate in clinical trials
Assist trial sites to establish trial specific clusters by coordinating and
completing trial cluster operational activities.
The Teletrial Support Program (TSP) that aims to support clinical research teams to participate in the Australian Teletrial Program and provides funding to sites to accelerate expansion of clinical trials to rural, regional and remote patients through the teletrial model
Education and training opportunities are available for all interested clinical and teletrial staffs across participating states and territory in the Australian Teletrial Program through Australian Clinical Trials Education Centre (A-CTEC). Detailed instructions to access and register to free clinical and teletrial courses can be found here

How to get involved

Contact your local RCCC teletrials team:

Get in touch

The Australian Teletrial Program will improve access to, and participation in, clinical trials for rural, regional and remote Australians.