title: Establishing a Canadian national clinical trials network for kidney disease: proceedings of a planning workshop.
abstract: Knowledge generation through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is critical to advance the medical evidence base, inform decision-making, and improve care and outcomes. Unfortunately, nephrology has typically lagged behind other medical specialties in this regard. The establishment of formal clinical trial networks can facilitate the successful conduct of RCTs and has significantly increased the number of RCTs performed worldwide in other medical specialties. No such formal network of nephrology trialists exists in Canada. On April 24, 2014, the Canadian Kidney Knowledge Translation and Generation Network (CANN-NET) Clinical Trials Committee held a stakeholder engagement meeting to address this gap and improve the nephrology clinical trial landscape in Canada. The meeting was held in Vancouver in association with the 2014 Canadian Society of Nephrology Annual General Meeting and was co-sponsored by the Kidney Foundation of Canada and CANN-NET. Attendees included nephrologists from university- and non-university-affiliated nephrology practices, administrators, and representatives from the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Through structured presentations and facilitated group discussions, the group explored the extent to which nephrology trials are currently happening in Canada, barriers to leading or participating in larger investigator-initiated trials, and strategies to improve clinical trial output in nephrology in Canada. The themes and action items arising from this meeting are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB Canada.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rigatto
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zalunardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON Canada.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Clase
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB Canada ; Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB Canada.
authors.forename: Braden J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Manns
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche, Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, University de Montréal, Montreal, QC Canada.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Madore
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB Canada ; Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB Canada.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada.
authors.forename: Catherine J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: Kidney Foundation of Canada, Montreal, QC Canada.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wolfs
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, University de Montréal, Montreal, QC Canada ; Section de Néphrologie, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, University of Montreal, 1058 rue St. Denis, Montreal, QC H2X 3J4 Canada.
authors.forename: Rita S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Suri