Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
197,768 studies31 sourcesUpdated 23 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0The Journal of International Medical Research

Barriers and evidence-informed strategies for the high-quality development of drug clinical trials in Anhui Province, central China: A cross-sectional survey

  • Xiaobei Liu1
  • Liying Ren1
  • Dongmei Deng1
  • Rui Chen1
  • Fangyi Xu1
  • Huan Zhou1,2,3
  • Hongtao Li2,3
  • Jianzhong Shentu4
4 affiliations
  1. 1School of Nursing, Anqing Medical College, China
  2. 2Clinical Trial Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, China
  3. 3Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Research and Clinical Evaluation of Innovative Drugs, China
  4. 4Research Center of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, China
Read full textDOICite

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the current status, challenges, and development needs of the drug clinical trial industry in Anhui Province, central China, and to provide empirical evidence to support its high-quality development.

Methods: This cross-sectional study administered a questionnaire survey to 453 practitioners across multiple drug clinical trial institutions in Anhui Province (crude response rate, 63.9%; valid response rate, 62.9%). The survey collected data on demographic characteristics, work-related factors, perceived barriers and facilitators, and job satisfaction. Descriptive statistics, subgroup comparisons with Bonferroni correction, and ordinal logistic regression were used for data analysis.

Results: Clinical research coordinators accounted for 32.01% of respondents, whereas biorepository managers accounted for only 0.44%. Respondents with a pharmacy background comprised 41.72%, whereas those with a clinical medicine background accounted for 30.46%. Only 54.30% of respondents reported proficiency in operating electronic data capture systems. The main reported challenges included difficulty recruiting trial participants (77.70%), low public awareness (68.21%), and insufficient self-reported digital literacy among practitioners (48.34%). A total of 90.29% of respondents supported the establishment of clinical trial–related academic programs in higher medical education. Improving professional competency was identified as the most important measure (76.38%), followed by optimizing regulatory systems (12.80%). Overall, 69.09% of practitioners reported satisfaction with their career development.

Conclusion: Clinical trial practitioners in Anhui Province face prominent challenges, including difficulties in participant recruitment, an imbalanced workforce structure across job roles, insufficient digital literacy, and complex management processes. Based on these findings, several evidence-informed directions are proposed: strengthening public education, optimizing talent training, promoting digital infrastructure development, and enhancing regional coordination. These measures may facilitate the high-quality development of drug clinical trials in Anhui Province, central China.

Related

  1. Barriers and facilitators of evidence-informed health policymaking in Nepal: A scoping review
    Padam Simkhada, Kaung Suu Lwin, Bikash Koirala +4
    PLOS OnePeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textEpidemiology & public healthNutritionPLOS
  2. Formononetin as a Natural Product-Derived Candidate for Diabetic Microvascular Complications: Mechanistic Evidence, Pharmacokinetics, Formulation Strategies, and Translational Barriers
    Xiaotian Gao, Yingtao Zhang, Yan Zheng +11
    Drug Design, Development and TherapyPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Full textPharmacology & toxicologyPMCEurope PMC
  3. Community pharmacists’ strategies and barriers in supporting medication adherence in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study
    Fahad Alzahrani, Faris S. Alnezary, Zikria Saleem +1
    Frontiers in medicinePeer-reviewedCC BYFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMCPMC
  4. Physiological monitoring and physiology-informed strategies in cardiac arrest: current evidence and clinical translation
    Rafael Hortêncio Melo, Daniel Joelsons, Hélio Penna Guimaraes +1
    International Journal of Emergency MedicinePeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textGeneral medicinePMC
  5. BPC-157 as an Investigational Peptide Therapeutic: Biopharmaceutical Challenges, Formulation Strategies, and Translational Development Barriers
    Diana-Maria Mateescu, Dragos-Mihai Gavrilescu, Florin Eugen Constantinescu +7
    PharmaceuticsPeer-reviewedCC BY6 citedPharmacology & toxicologyOpenAlex

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{liu2026barriers,
  title = {{Barriers and evidence-informed strategies for the high-quality development of drug clinical trials in Anhui Province, central China: A cross-sectional survey}},
  author = {Xiaobei Liu and Liying Ren and Dongmei Deng and Rui Chen and Fangyi Xu and Huan Zhou and Hongtao Li and Jianzhong Shentu},
  journal = {The Journal of International Medical Research},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1177/03000605261485068},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/03000605261485068},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Barriers and evidence-informed strategies for the high-quality development of drug clinical trials in Anhui Province, central China: A cross-sectional survey
AU  - Xiaobei Liu
AU  - Liying Ren
AU  - Dongmei Deng
AU  - Rui Chen
AU  - Fangyi Xu
AU  - Huan Zhou
AU  - Hongtao Li
AU  - Jianzhong Shentu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/16
JO  - The Journal of International Medical Research
DO  - 10.1177/03000605261485068
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1177/03000605261485068
AB  - Objective: To investigate the current status, challenges, and development needs of the drug clinical trial industry in Anhui Province, central China, and to provide empirical evidence to support its high-quality development.  Methods: This cross-sectional study administered a questionnaire survey to 453 practitioners across multiple drug clinical trial institutions in Anhui Province (crude response rate, 63.9%; valid response rate, 62.9%). The survey collected data on demographic characteristics, work-related factors, perceived barriers and facilitators, and job satisfaction. Descriptive statistics, subgroup comparisons with Bonferroni correction, and ordinal logistic regression were used for data analysis.  Results: Clinical research coordinators accounted for 32.01% of respondents, whereas biorepository managers accounted for only 0.44%. Respondents with a pharmacy background comprised 41.72%, whereas those with a clinical medicine background accounted for 30.46%. Only 54.30% of respondents reported proficiency in operating electronic data capture systems. The main reported challenges included difficulty recruiting trial participants (77.70%), low public awareness (68.21%), and insufficient self-reported digital literacy among practitioners (48.34%). A total of 90.29% of respondents supported the establishment of clinical trial–related academic programs in higher medical education. Improving professional competency was identified as the most important measure (76.38%), followed by optimizing regulatory systems (12.80%). Overall, 69.09% of practitioners reported satisfaction with their career development.  Conclusion: Clinical trial practitioners in Anhui Province face prominent challenges, including difficulties in participant recruitment, an imbalanced workforce structure across job roles, insufficient digital literacy, and complex management processes. Based on these findings, several evidence-informed directions are proposed: strengthening public education, optimizing talent training, promoting digital infrastructure development, and enhancing regional coordination. These measures may facilitate the high-quality development of drug clinical trials in Anhui Province, central China.
SN  - 0300-0605
SN  - 1473-2300
ER  -