Search for a command to run...
<h3>Background and Importance</h3> In Clinical Trial Units within Spanish Hospital Pharmacy Services no staffing standard has yet been established in relation to the number and complexity of trials, teaching activities derived from investigational drug management. In 2018, an exploratory survey was conducted in Spain that described the increase in complexity and the need for more staff. <h3>Aim and Objectives</h3> To analyse the current situation of clinical trial units within Spanish Hospital Pharmacy Services and the training provided to pharmacy residents (comprehensive teaching). <h3>Material and Methods</h3> An online survey was distributed to pharmacists working in Hospital Pharmacy Services across Spain. It consisted of 17 questions covering hospital characteristics, clinical trial activities, working conditions, funding, and resident training. The survey was disseminated to all members of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy between April-May 2025. Data analysis was performed using SPSS v26.0. Descriptive statistics were used for frequencies, and Chi-squared or Fisher’s exact test were applied to compare qualitative variables. <h3>Results</h3> 82 responses were collected, corresponding to 71 hospitals. Results revealed significant differences according to hospital size. Large centres (>600 beds) represented 45.1% of the sample and showed greater research activity: 53.1% reported more than 250 active clinical trials, compared with 10.3% of small hospitals. Phase I research was also markedly more frequent in large hospitals (78.1% vs 23.1%). Specialised human resources were more frequently available in large centres: 65.6% employed ≥3 pharmacists dedicated to clinical trials, versus 25.6% in smaller hospitals. Digital resources showed a similar gap: 78.1% of large hospitals had dedicated software compared with 41.7% of smaller centres. With regard to resident training in clinical trials, adequate comprehensive teaching was reported in 90.6% of large hospitals, compared with 61.5% of small hospitals. These findings highlight a correlation between hospital size, research volume, and availability of specialised resources. <h3>Conclusion and Relevance</h3> Being competitive as a country in an increasingly challenging clinical research environment requires sufficient and specialised human resources, specific software, and an appropriate return on investment in Pharmacy Services. Furthermore, larger hospitals, due to their greater resource investment, tend to achieve more significant returns in terms of research output and quality, highlighting the importance of adequate infrastructure to strengthen clinical research. <h3>Conflict of Interest</h3> No conflict of interest