Parallel Researching with Online Collaboration (PROC), a new cost effective model for multicentre multinational research

The traditional model of multicentre multinational studies is a costly exercise that limits its feasibility for resource limited settings. We propose an alternate model for such studies named Parallel Researching with Online Collaboration (PROC). If implemented, this hypothetical model will make multicentre trials feasible in many resource limited settings. PROC can be summarized in five phases; phase I – academics using free access social networking sites to collaborate and develop research questions, phase II – further consolidation of an idea and expansion of it with online contributions from experts, identification of key persons to carry out the study in parallel at different centres, phase III – drawing up a common research protocol and study tools, phase IV – each satellite centre functioning independently to carry out the common protocol, Phase V – pooling of data in a common summarized format and writing up the findings