Using Cross-Functional Teams to Write Combined Clinical and Statistical Research Reports: A Communication Specialist's Perspective

Abstract

Increasing economic pressures are forcing the pharmaceutical industry to look for ways to trim costs, improve efficiencies, and reduce the time needed to bring new products to the marketplace. One approach for improving efficiency, and thus reducing the time to bring new products to the marketplace, is through multidisciplinary writing-editing teams. The five basic considerations for developing this team, namely complementary skills, a purpose, goals, a clear working approach, and a sense of mutual commitment, are discussed. Once these basic considerations are dealt with, the cross-functional writing-editing team can have beneficial effects on the combined clinical and statistical research report ranging from better use of available resources to improved colleague morale.