Die Einbindung von Medizinischen Fachangestellten in die Koordination von Studien in der Hausarztpraxis

In this paper, we investigated which aspects had influenced the involvement of Health Care Assistants (HCAs) in the coordination and recruitment of a clinical study for the implementation of an online self-management program for patients with asthma in primary care practices. In eleven family practices, the person (HCA or physician) who, according to the cooperation agreement, had taken over the local study coordination, was invited to participate in a semistructured interview. The evaluation was carried out with a summarizing content analysis. According to the cooperation agreement, HCAs took on the coordination function in four and doctors in seven practices; in at least two other practices, however, HCAs took on essential coordination functions. Important reasons for doctors to take over the coordination themselves were the routine workload of HCAs, part-time employment or concerns about the development of internal competition. With regard to addressing possible study participants, doctors saw better chances of success in themselves because of their authority. A reward for the HCAs was seen as desirable. In the accompanying study, the doctors were often reluctant to pass on important functions to the HCA. The successful integration of HCAs in clinical trials appears to be a complex task that requires a respectful and trusting cooperation between the participants that grows over time.