​Research Study Design and Project Planning

Comprehensive Study Design

Poorly designed studies collect poor quality information. A quality study collects quality information, and this is what HSRC does best. The HSRC team has the knowledge and experience required to properly design a wide variety of studies. In addition to our work on many randomized, multi-arm, controlled trials, we have expertise in wait-list control, uncontrolled, and quasi-experimental designs, as well as qualitative and multi-method study designs.

Project Management

Effective project management is the key to a successful and valid study. The HSRC team has the experience, knowledge and expertise to successfully guide your project from design to implementation to analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of results.

​Participant Recruitment, Tracking and Management

The identification of recruitment strategies that will produce representative samples, ensure retention and compliance, all while protecting patient safety is crucial to a successful study. Accurate participant tracking and reporting is also critical to successful data collection. The tracking and reporting system developed by HSRC programmers generates automatic alerts when a participant is due for any desired action such as a mailing, telephone call or visit, providing project managers with a powerful tool to efficiently track projects. The system also generates statistics on recruitment, attrition, response rate, and allows this information, along with estimated completion dates, to be viewed on a secure webpage.

​International and Multicultural Studies

As our world and healthcare becomes more globalized, the ability to conduct research and promote health innovation internationally and across cultures is increasingly important. The HSRC team has experience managing international research trials, translating and validating questionnaires, and assessing cultural competency. Personnel are sensitive to the needs of clients, researchers, and participants from other countries and cultures.

​Measurement Design and Validation

The design and development of self-report assessments must meet high psychometric, econometric and clinometric standards, standards that are embodied within PRO/HRQL guidance of regulatory, academic, health policy and clinical decision-makers around the world. In addition to application of state-of-the-art psychometric technologies, HSRC researchers have expertise in refining both qualitative and quantitative methodologies used to design new PRO measures. Our work is evidenced by numerous research initiatives and the publication of their results in leading journals.

Clinical Samples and Sampling Methods

We provide clinical investigator support, data collection and analysis, and project management for projects involving a wide variety of healthcare settings and patient populations, including:

  • Cardiopulmonary disease
  • Chronic renal failure 
  • Upper and lower GI 
  • Metabolic disorders (diabetes)  
  • Rheumatoid disease (gout, arthritis) 
  • Infectious disease 
  • Oncology 
  • Mental Health disorders 
  • Health promotion and disease prevention  
  • Patient, family, and clinical focus groups 
  • Inpatient and Outpatient illness panel studies  
  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine
​Literature and Instrument Reviews

Background literature reviews provide a conceptual basis for optimizing study design within outcomes research, lending credibility to research initiatives and publication strategies, and providing summary evidence to support filing and promotional materials; similarly, psychometric reviews permit selection of targeted PRO/HRQL measures which are responsive to the known effects of specific treatments and interventions.

The HSRC Team has demonstrated psychometric, clinometric, and economic expertise across a wide variety of patient populations and healthcare settings. This diversity allows for the production of high quality, in-depth technical reviews.