Many opportunities for improvement for ICON management, see this extensive review with 21 point of feedback - part 1.
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Extensive Review with 21 suggestions for improvement for ICON Management:
After having participated in quite a number of clinical trails of long duration at ICON, I can generally recommend participating due to the high level of safety and the continuous strong offering of trails with good financial rewards.
On the other hand there remain many opportunities for improvement for the ICON management to consider:
1. The focus at ICON is mostly on the Clinical Trail procedures and executing the study sponsor requirements and protocols, rather then on the well-being of the volunteer. In other words the main priority is on sponsor-satisfaction (due to the financial incentive) rather then on volunteer- and employee wellbeing. Examples to be mentioned below.
2. Besides the FeedbackCompany website there is no clear procedure in place to gather feedback and/or complaints from volunteers, or a clear path of how to submit suggestions for improvement communicated to volunteers. No serious effort is made to improve the clinic or the experience of volunteers of the trails.
3. It’s unclear for volunteers and not communicated how to get in touch with people in charge; such as lead staff, teamleaders, study manager or the MD overseeing the trail. The management structure is very hysterical and the reachable general staff is for the most part not open to complains, questions and feedback - most likely due to a general inability to do anything about it and the lack of a clear feedback and improvement structure.
4. The schedule of the clinical trail is often illogical and irrational at the cost of volunteers, often regarding the basic need for wellbeing sleep and food; think of being woken up multiple times in the early morning to submit urine samples or well being reports, although breakfast time is only hours later and lunch time just 2 hours after breakfast time
5. If you get to go out for a walk or just some fresh air is always unknown and up to the availability and willingness of the kitchen staff members; often walks are cancelled due to weather and sometimes no time outside is arranged unless volunteers resort to begging or threatening to otherwise leave the trail. Some trails taking place at the third floor have no access to a balcony or any space with fresh air, although studies longer then 3 weeks frequently are scheduled there against internal stipulations
6. The first 1 till 6 dinner meals are chosen for the volunteer because meals are ordered in advance on a weekly basis. Since this is the only proper meal besides bread and quite an important part of the diet, meal choices could be requested by ICON and submitted by volunteers in advance by email prior to coming to the clinic.
7. The toilets / restrooms are only cleaned once a day by an external cleaning company, often lacking sufficient cleaning and restocking of toilet paper. Sometimes just a few toilets are shared with large amounts of people such as a 1:5 ratio. Once a day cleaning is not sufficient for this intensity of usage.
Wat zou je bij je volgende deelname bij ICON graag anders willen zien?
See the 21 points of feedback under the main question about the experience.