In the final 3 short vids I’ll be doing this year before taking a break, I want to mention the core value that everyone involved in clinical trials should keep at the heart of everything they do.

Respect.

Respect for trial participants, respect for the other stakeholders, respect for the process, respect for the industry, and respect for the disease or condition.

Keeping respect for participant lifestyles in mind when designing trials should help reduce some of the excessive burden elements that are often incorporated in plans for such things as site visits.

Similarly, research sites acting with respect for participants may go above and beyond the minimum for making patients feel welcome. Potentially even tailoring their opening hours around participants’ availability.

And the industry as a whole can maybe consider using more respectful language than the word ‘subject’ – which, while obviously technically correct, is only one step away from ‘guinea pig’.