Investigators

Participating in research offers myriad benefits to physicians and their patients, including:

• Professional development and recognition. Medical professionals can expand their knowledge and expertise through research.
• Continuing Education Units potential. Engaging in continuing medical education (CME) can sometimes be hard to come by, and our Research Institute has a CME opportunity for physicians and APPs interested in research.
• Clinic prominence. Researchers can set their clinics apart from others by offering research opportunities to their patients.
• New and novel therapies and technologies. Research offers patients access to cutting-edge treatments not yet available on the market; awareness of medical innovation; and the opportunity to play a role in the evolution of medicine.
• Tool for clinic growth. Research can be a tool in building a clinical practice by attracting new patients who see research as a credibility measure.
• Intellectual curiosity and knowledge expansion. Increased awareness of local subspecialty research.
• Expanded patient access to quality care in their community. Patients can see their provider without having to travel long distances to receive critical care.

We welcome any health care professional interested in becoming a research investigator to apply for clinical research credentialing at the Research Institute. Research experience is not necessary, but it can be helpful in accelerating the onboarding and trial startup process. We tailor the types of trials to each investigator’s experience level so those new to research can learn the fundamentals as they build a research portfolio.

Offering your patients new treatment options and medical therapies by referring them to a clinical trial is another way to get involved in research at MultiCare. Simply review open trials and contact [email protected] to refer your patient for a screening visit. Like referring them to a specialist, they remain your patient, and you receive regular updates and access to lab and other test results from the trial team.

The depth and breadth of our integrated health system offers a research program with:

• Nearly limitless opportunities for research in multiple settings across a wide range of medical roles
• Many inpatient and outpatient settings with both adult and pediatric populations
• Ready access to ancillary services, including imaging, infusion and pharmacy
• Epic electronic medical records that allow research in our system to be fully connected within all patient facilities

Our Research Institute offers investigators:

• Infrastructure that allows physicians, APPs and other allied health professionals the ability to seamlessly conduct research as part of their existing practice
• Research expertise to guide new and experienced researchers throughout the process, from study feasibility to completion
• Networks to support clinicians with their research internally as well as collaborations with colleagues across the country

Onboarding and credentialing to become an investigator with the Research Institute takes, on average, three to five hours to complete. Depending on the complexity of the trial protocol you’re working on, you should expect between four and six hours of administrative time for study startup and training. Once your study is underway, the time spent outside of clinical visits will vary based on the complexity of the study, but should average between 15 and 30 minutes per visit.

Most of the day-to-day research operations for industry-sponsored and federally funded clinical trials are carried out by Research Institute team members, such as study coordinators, research assistants and research nurses. The team’s duties include:

• Promoting studies
• Recruiting and screening participants
• Scheduling research visits
• Preparing and filing documentation
• Collecting, cataloging and managing data throughout the study

All studies are supported by at least one research coordinator. Our larger research portfolios have dedicated coordinators assigned to a specific indication or investigator.

Involvement in research should not impact your ability to see patients. Many of our investigators have said that participating in research has helped them increase productivity and grow their practices. Our coordinators handle the scheduling and are often embedded in clinics to facilitate seamless management of research visits. They carry out research procedures and protocols as part of regular patient care or by adding new research participants incrementally into investigators’ clinic days, so participants can be seen by physicians between other patient visits.

A principal investigator (PI) holds overall responsibility for a study and makes sure all protocols and procedures are followed. According to the Code of Federal Regulations, the general responsibilities of investigators include:

• Ensuring that an investigation is conducted in accordance with the signed investigator statement, the investigational plan and applicable regulations
• Protecting the rights, safety and welfare of the subjects under the investigator’s care
• Control of investigational drug(s)

Investigators’ specific responsibilities include:

• Protocol compliance
• Informed consent prior to study procedures
• Recordkeeping and retention
• Control of the drugs under investigation
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) review and approval
• Adverse event reporting
• Integrity of data/inspection of records

Most of our investigators are compensated for their participation in research by a stipend to cover their administrative time over the study. For industry trials, these stipends are negotiated as an addendum to the provider contract during the study contracting process. Government-sponsored trials, such as those funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), often do not provide sufficient funding to support an investigator’s stipend.

To get started, follow these steps:

1. Provide your research interest, curriculum vitae (CV) and any investigational opportunities you would like to explore to Research Institute staff
2. Complete online investigator training for Good Clinical Practices and Human Subject Protections
3. Complete the Practice Agreement for Research agreeing to:
   1. Protect the rights and welfare of human subjects
   2. Follow the rules and regulations for conduct of research at MultiCare
   3. Guarantee appropriate administration of the informed consent process

Once the above steps have been completed, our team will work with you to ensure your research experience is excellent.

The Research Institute has a team dedicated to supporting investigators in the development, design and management of health services research initiated by members of our health system, or investigator-initiated research (IIR).

The first step in an IIR project is to complete a literature search to validate that your idea is a novel concept and that there is a gap in the literature. Our research librarian can assist with this process.

Next, you should draft research questions to pinpoint the problem you want to solve, and schedule a time to meet with a member of the research team to discuss the feasibility of a study and what support you might need, such as protocol design, grant writing, regulatory approval and data analysis.