All Times EDT
Keywords: Bayesian, clinician, education, communication
With more than 1000 ongoing and completed COVID-19 studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, the public has been inundated with information on clinical trial designs, statistical models, and results related to the pandemic. There has never been a more important time for clear and effective communication to the clinical professionals and general public on the topics of trial design and statistical analyses. Clinical professionals are instrumental partners to statisticians in the decision-making process related to the trial design and results of the investigative treatments of interest. Innovative trial design and analyses such as those leveraging Bayesian approaches is essential to meet the urgent need to make efficient use of all the available information resulting in time and cost savings. Despite numerous publications and efforts to increase education and awareness of Bayesian methods, there are still many hurdles to overcome when trying to plan and implement Bayesian approaches in clinical trials.
In this talk, we will focus on understanding the education and practice gaps related to Bayesian applications and interpretations in the drug development process from the clinician perspective. We will draw on the results of a recent Drug Information Association-Bayesian Scientific Working Group survey assessing Bayesian statistics knowledge, training needs, and perspective within the medical community. We will also provide practical recommendations on overcoming these hurdles including best practices for effective communication to our clinical colleagues.