Table 4 Difficulties in clinical research by study characteristics^a

Difficulties with:

%

%

p

%

%

p

%

%

p

Literature review (get relevant articles, read, synthesize)

2.4

6.9

0.19

3.1

7.9

0.078

7.2

4.9

0.39

Research question (formulation of a main research question and/or hypothesis)

1.2

13.1

0.001

3.2

15.0

<0.001

15.1

5.9

0.004

Study design (identification of the study design, variables, instruments, analysis, including calculation of the sample size)

2.4

25.8

<0.001

8.2

29.1

<0.001

23.3

18.0

0.21

Approval by the Research Ethics Committee

12.2

17.9

0.25

11.9

20.3

0.038

12.8

20.4

0.056

Getting funding

3.7

23.9

<0.001

13.8

23.1

0.026

19.0

19.5

1.00

Approval by the safety agencies (Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, etc.)

17.3

8.3

0.023

14.6

7.0

0.024

3.9

15.7

<0.001

Patients enrollment

51.3

41.5

0.13

48.1

42.5

0.30

37.1

51.5

0.005

Data collection

19.5

28.9

0.12

22.0

30.0

0.10

26.1

27.2

0.82

Collaboration with caregivers for patient enrollment

18.3

22.1

0.54

20.1

21.8

0.80

19.4

22.5

0.53

Recruitment of competent persons to conduct the study

12.2

22.0

0.059

16.4

22.9

0.12

16.7

23.3

0.13

Data management

6.1

20.4

0.002

10.1

21.8

0.002

19.6

14.6

0.22

Data analysis (statistical or other) and results interpretation

3.7

26.7

<0.001

10.8

29.3

<0.001

23.5

20.1

0.46

Writing a manuscript for a scientific publication

1.2

23.8

<0.001

8.9

25.6

<0.001

20.9

16.7

0.36

Publication in a peer-reviewed journal

4.9

25.5

<0.001

14.6

24.8

0.020

21.1

20.0

0.80

Other(s) difficulty(ies)

3.7

5.8

0.58

5.0

5.3

1.00

8.9

1.9

0.002