Clinical trial feasibility should do more than confirm that a site is interested. A strong assessment tests patient access, operational capacity, activation readiness and the signals that indicate whether a site is likely to perform once the study is live.
Clinical trial operations
Clinical Trial Feasibility Assessment: Select Sites That Can Actually Perform
Feasibility framework
Six signals to evaluate before site selection
The best feasibility assessments combine questionnaire responses with objective evidence about whether a site can recruit, activate and execute the protocol.
Patient access
Estimate the realistic eligible patient pool, referral pathways, competing trials and expected screen-failure rate.
Site capacity
Review investigator availability, coordinator capacity, staffing stability, equipment and competing study workload.
Activation readiness
Assess contracting, ethics and regulatory timelines, training needs and the site's ability to complete start-up activities quickly.
Historical performance
Use previous activation, screening, enrollment and retention performance where comparable data exists.
Protocol fit
Test whether the protocol's procedures, visit schedule, eligibility criteria and operational burden fit the site's real workflow.
Engagement signals
Track early interaction with study content, communications and onboarding to identify sites that may need intervention before performance slips.
Clinical trial site feasibility
How to run a clinical trial feasibility assessment
A clinical trial feasibility assessment is the process of determining whether a study can be executed successfully within the proposed countries, sites, timelines and patient population. At site level, the goal is not simply to ask whether a site wants the study. It is to determine whether the site can realistically activate, recruit and deliver the protocol.
1. Start with protocol feasibility
Before evaluating individual sites, pressure-test the protocol itself. Look for restrictive eligibility criteria, demanding visit schedules, specialist equipment requirements, complex procedures and other factors that could reduce the recruitable population or increase site burden.
2. Build a site feasibility questionnaire around evidence
Ask for measurable inputs: eligible patients seen per month, competing studies, expected consent and screening rates, investigator availability, coordinator headcount, start-up timelines and previous performance on comparable trials. Avoid relying on broad confidence statements without supporting data.
Assessment area | Questions to answer |
|---|---|
Patient population | How many potentially eligible patients are available, and how many are realistically recruitable? |
Competing trials | Which active or planned studies compete for the same patients, staff or investigators? |
Start-up | What are realistic contracting, ethics, regulatory, training and activation timelines? |
Performance | How has the site performed on comparable studies, and how recent is that evidence? |
3. Score feasibility consistently
A simple weighted score prevents the loudest or fastest-responding site from automatically looking strongest. Weight criteria according to study risk. For a rare-disease study, patient access may dominate. For a highly complex protocol, staff capability and operational readiness may deserve more weight.
4. Treat feasibility as the start of measurement, not the end
Traditional feasibility is largely predictive. Once a site is selected, real activity can validate or challenge the assumptions made during selection. Early engagement with study materials, training, communications and protocol content can provide leading signals before lagging metrics such as recruitment expose a problem.
5. Connect site selection to ongoing site performance
Teckro's approach is built around measuring site engagement and combining leading engagement indicators with recruitment metrics. That creates a continuous view of site performance after activation, helping study teams segment sites and target interventions rather than waiting for underperformance to become obvious.
Clinical trial feasibility checklist
- Define country and site selection criteria before outreach begins.
- Estimate the realistic eligible patient pool, not the total disease population.
- Record competing studies and expected overlap in recruitment.
- Validate investigator and coordinator capacity.
- Estimate ethics, contracting, training and activation timelines.
- Review comparable historical site performance where available.
- Document assumptions so they can be checked after activation.
- Track early engagement and recruitment signals continuously after site selection.
From feasibility to performance
Do not stop measuring when the site is selected
Teckro gives sponsors a data-driven view of site engagement and performance after activation, helping study teams identify where targeted intervention can improve outcomes.