Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 13, 2025

A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition
Published on: September 20, 2019
Nurse Liaison Support to Safeguard the Scientific Rigor of Multisite Clinical Trials: Qualitative Findings From
Youmin Cho1, Mary R Scott, Christina M Wilson
1Author Affiliations: College of Nursing, Chungnam National University (Dr Cho), Daejeon, South Korea; Virginia Gynecological Oncology, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at Henrico Doctors Hospital, Richmond, VA (Dr. Wilson); and Department of Acute and Chronic and Continuing Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing (Drs Daniel, Wang, and Lavoie Smith; Mss Scott, Carlee, and Kreider; and Mr Odii).
Background:
The nurse liaison within the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology network supports the implementation of National Cancer Institute-supported multisite clinical trials by serving as a centralized point of communication for site research staff. In the context of large-scale studies involving over 100 enrolling sites, timely and effective email communication presents ongoing challenges.
Objectives:
The aims of this study were to explore the communication, education, and support strategies used by a dedicated nurse liaison in a multisite clinical trial, and to examine how the nurse liaison's responses contributed to staff satisfaction, growth, knowledge, and confidence, while promoting patient safety and research fidelity through relationship-centered, caring communication.
Methods:
We conducted a content analysis of email communications between research site staff and the study-dedicated nurse for a multisite clinical trial (Alliance A221805). The Quality-Caring Model provided the theoretical framework for this qualitative study and guided the codebook structure used for content analysis of email queries.
Results:
Thematic saturation was reached after analyzing 318 emails from clinical research professionals between May 1, 2020, and March 21, 2023, representing 91 sites and 36 states. Most inquiries were from registered nurses (68%). Emerged themes revealed nurse liaison contributions-education, validation, and caring-which aligned with theoretical domains: research staff knowledge, patient safety, and research fidelity.
Conclusions:
Nurse liaisons have a critical role in supporting multisite clinical trials by (1) educating/supporting study staff, (2) enhancing patient safety, and (3) ensuring high-quality research outcomes.
Implications For Practice:
Nurse liaisons' caring communication may have a positive impact on research staff knowledge and confidence.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Clinical Trials
There are four phases in a clinical trial. A phase one...
Clinical Trials: Overview
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
Ethics in Research
Study Designs in Epidemiology
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...
Types of Reports II: Incident or Occurrence Report
Purposes:
In the healthcare industry, reports play a crucial role in documenting incidents within an agency. The primary objective of these reports is to ensure patient safety, uphold the...

