General Practitioners (GP) experiences in managing patients in clinical trials conducted by non-GP specialists: an exploratory qualitative study

Introduction: General Practitioners (GPs) in Australia continue to provide primary medical care for patients enrolled in specialist-led clinical trials (CTs), yet research on GPs’ experiences in this role remains limited. This study explored Australian GPs’ experiences managing CT patients and their perspectives on primary care involvement in clinical research. Methods: This phenomenological study involved 11 semi-structured interviews with GPs in New South Wales, Australia, between July to October 2024, who previously managed patients enrolled in other non-GP subspecialist CTs. The recruitment applied purposive, snowballing and convenience sampling approaches. Interviews were transcribed, inductively coded and thematically analyzed. Results: Analysis revealed four themes: (i) lack of communication from CT teams, (ii) patients’ insufficient understanding about their CTs, (iii) time and resource barriers to GP involvement in CTs, (iv) varied opinions about GPs playing an active role as researchers in CTs. Conclusions: This exploratory study highlighted the lack of proper communication gaps between CT teams and GPs, potentially compromising the quality of patient care. Digital health records (such as Australia’s My Health Record) could facilitate information sharing. While GPs support primary care research, barriers include limited research training, time constraints, and inadequate resources. Integrating research education into GP training and establishing practice-based research networks could enhance GP participation in CTs.