Abstrait

Developing an international network for clinical research: the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization experience

Paula Peyrani, Timothy Wiemken, Forest Arnold,Julio Ramirez

Clinical research can be defined as the generation of new knowledge in the medical field by performing studies that involve patients with a specific disease. The basic steps for the development of a clinical research network are: creation of a steering committee, development of a network core study, establishment of a network coordinating center, delineation of network research opportunities and definition of the publication policy. Models for international collaborations among clinical investigators will continue to emerge as a methodology for performing research on large numbers of subjects. A well-established network is a very effective mechanism in the generation of new knowledge in a particular medical field