Leveraging Remote Research Associates During a Pandemic.

Area of Science:

• Clinical Research Operations
• Health Informatics
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted academic medical center clinical research due to public health measures.
• Social distancing and stay-at-home orders created unprecedented challenges for ongoing studies, particularly in high-acuity settings like emergency departments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation and outcomes of a program enabling remote research associates (RAs) to continue emergency department (ED)-based clinical research.
• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of virtualizing clinical research operations during a pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Trained remote RAs were granted secure, dual-authentication virtual private network (VPN) access to the electronic health record (EHR).
• Remote RAs utilized the EHR for patient screening and enrollment in ongoing ED studies.
• Specific study training was provided to ensure protocol adherence and data integrity.

Main Results:

• Remote RAs gained EHR access independently and efficiently, typically within one week, with minimal technical issues.
• Informal evaluations indicated high levels of program satisfaction, ease of EHR access, and comfort with study protocols among remote RAs.
• The program successfully facilitated the continuation of critical ED-based clinical research activities.

Conclusions:

• Virtualizing clinical research operations through remote RAs and secure EHR access is a viable strategy to maintain study continuity during public health crises.
• The implemented program demonstrated success in overcoming pandemic-related disruptions to ED research.
• This model offers a scalable solution for academic medical centers to adapt research operations to external challenges.