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Background and objectives: In Japan, the contribution of clinical research coordinators to trials for drug approval is now well recognized in investigators. In 2013, we initiated a clinical research coordinator hospital certification course at our facility. The purpose of the course is to pre-educate medical staff who are candidates for future roles of clinical research coordinator, and to spread recognition of clinical research. Methods: To obtain information from course participants, we conducted a qualitative study in 2014, using a focus group interview in six participants who had completed the course in 2013. The initial topic was perceptions of the course before and after participation. Other topics were the present status and issues in clinical research coordinators. Results: All participants agreed that the course was acceptable and effective in reexamining their own work and roles from the aspects of clinical research, and that the role of clinical research coordinator itself is not very familiar among staff in the facility. Some participants indicated that even their more senior coworkers have limited recognition about clinical research coordinators. Conclusion: There are few reports that deal with awareness-spreading activities that targeted facility staff in positions other than those related to clinical research. This type of education could be considered to more quickly build support of clinical research

Clinical research plays a fundamental role in establishing new treatments. Clinical research coordinators are considered essential in clinical research, and medical professionals such as pharmacists often take on this role. Pharmacy students can be considered future candidates for this task. We used questionnaires to survey the knowledge of and attitudes toward registration trials and clinical research of pharmacy students at Tokushima University Hospital. All pharmacy students (103) to whom questionnaires were sent responded. Almost all respondents were aware of registration trials and clinical research. More than 90% were aware of the existence of clinical research coordinators, and about half (48.6%) understood their role. In clinical research terminology, most respondents were aware of informed consent and related issues, but fewer than 20% were aware of more practical things. In total, 29.1% and 40.8% of the respondents were willing to carry out and coordinate research. These findings suggest that pharmacy students have basic knowledge of clinical research and that many students are willing to carry out and coordinate clinical research. More practical exposure to clinical research may help to strengthen their future contribution. Further studies may help to determine how to provide education on registration trials and clinical research to pharmacy students.