title: Fate of research studies.
abstract: A retrospective survey was conducted of 720 research protocols, approved by the Central Oxford Research Ethics Committee between 1984 and 1987, to determine the fate of research studies from inception. Forty-five per cent were clinical trials, 23% were observational studies and 32% were laboratory-based experimental studies. Further information was obtained on 487 studies, of which 287 (59%) had been completed, 100 (21%) had never started, 58 (12%) had been abandoned or were in abeyance and 42 (9%) were still ongoing, as of May 1990. Forty-three per cent of the original 487 studies were subsequently published or presented. The most frequent reason for not starting a study was failure to obtain funding (40%). The main reason for abandoning a study was difficulty in recruiting study participants (28%). Departure of one of the investigators from the institution and a variety of logistical problems were also common reasons for either not starting or abandoning a study. A thorough review of the pragmatic as well as the scientific aspects of a planned research project is important to minimize the initiation of studies that are unlikely to succeed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Easterbrook
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Matthews
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004739:England; D028744:Ethics Committees, Research; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D012106:Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012107:Research Design; D035842:Research Subjects; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012189:Retrospective Studies