Message from Mary Long, Chief Compliance Officer
Training yesterday versus today… 
When I first started working in the CRO industry (back when the dinosaurs roamed), the training of healthcare professionals selected to participate in an investigational trial took on two basic formats: 1) holding an investigator meeting that lasted at least 2-3 days and 2) site initiation visits that lasted all day at each site. This is still the most common practice today; however, the time spent at the investigator meeting and the site initiation visits has been cut in half. Investigational studies have not become less complex in nature, but the industry has invested and embraced technology.
Back in the days of yore, investigator meetings (IMs) were grueling not only for the length of the meeting but for the audience and the presenters alike, primarily because the method of transferring large amounts of knowledge about the drug/molecule and detailed study procedures were provided by “stand and deliver” method only – rather than focused sessions with interactive communications and content engagement tools. A site initiation visit was a repeat of the same materials to review with the site staff – you just had to talk faster! If the statements above have you going down memory lane, then you also remember 3-part NCR CRF and paper data queries via fax.
All I can say is thank goodness for change.
Clients have now begun to engage with more effective platforms and methods for training to meet the needs of the audiences and to convey their critical messaging. As clients begin to rethink their training approaches, they are asking themselves great questions:
- What is the best forum to communicate their message?
- What specifically does the audience need to understand about their study design and product?
- What topic(s) not to include for their audience that already has knowledge/experience?
- How best to engage an audience to actually participate in learning?
With MTA’s proactive approach, over the past 20 + years, to advance and improve event experiences, the company has evolved from providing expertise in event planning and logistics to now becoming a true partner and collaborator with our clients. By developing tools that help clients determine the best forum (face-to-face, virtual and/or hybrid), while sharing agenda content best practices, as well as content engagement ideas/platforms, and using video/audio captures for virtual training solutions, Miller Tanner is not just your ordinary event planner. MTA is much more.
Kind regards,
Mary Long, CCO
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