Feasibility Assessment Checklist
Core summary
A brilliant question you cannot answer is worthless. This lesson gives you a systematic five-dimension feasibility checklist — Patients, Resources, Time, Expertise, and Scope — so you can realistically assess whether your study idea can be executed.
Detailed explanation
Detailed explanation
The five dimensions of feasibility (adapted from Hulley et al., 2013): 1. Patients/Participants: Can you recruit enough? Key questions: How many patients with this condition does your institution see per year? What percentage would consent? What is the expected dropout rate? A common mistake is overestimating recruitment — multiply your estimate by 0.5 for a safer projection. 2. Resources: Do you have or can you access what you need? Consider: equipment, lab assays, software, funding for consumables, research assistants. 3. Time: Can you complete the study within your available timeframe? Account for: ethics approval (2-6 months), recruitment period, intervention duration, follow-up, data analysis, and writing. 4. Expertise: Do you (or your team) have the necessary skills? Consider: statistical analysis, specific clinical procedures, laboratory techniques. 5. Scope: Is the question narrow enough to be answerable? Narrow scope is the most powerful feasibility tool. Scoring: Rate each dimension as Green (fully feasible), Yellow (feasible with modifications), or Red (major barrier). If any dimension is Red, modify the question or find a solution before proceeding.
Clinical example
Resident wants to study whether a new wound dressing reduces diabetic foot ulcer healing time. Feasibility check: Patients = Yellow (30 patients/year, needs 50 per arm). Resources = Green (dressings donated). Time = Red (healing takes 12 weeks, recruitment alone may take 12 months). Expertise = Green. Scope = Green. Verdict: Modify — consider a retrospective design or single-arm pilot.
Research example
A study by Al-Shahi Salman et al. (2014) in BMJ found that nearly 50% of registered clinical trials failed to meet their recruitment targets, and recruitment was the single most common reason for study failure.
Knowledge check
Q1. According to research, what is the single most common reason for clinical trial failure?
Q2. A safer recruitment estimate is obtained by multiplying your initial estimate by:
Q3. If one feasibility dimension scores Red, you should: