Lessons learnt from a discontinued randomised controlled trial: adalimumab injection compared with placebo for patients receiving physiotherapy treatment for sciatica (Subcutaneous Injection of Adalimumab Trial compared with Control: SCIATiC)

Table 3 Ten lessons learnt for consideration in a future trial

Contracts	1	Early agreement between sponsor, NHS sites and university centres about how the contracting process should be arranged with model research collaboration agreements
Site set-up	2	Early discussions about site requirements using a site feasibility questionnaire
Site set-up	3	Recruitment of a dedicated research physiotherapist (or other personnel) at each site
Treatment acceptability	4	Establish if the proposed treatment is acceptable to all principal investigators
	5	Determine if the proposed treatment is acceptable to sciatica patients, using further qualitative research
Recruitment	6	Simplify two-stage recruitment process
	7	Use telephone or text reminders two weeks after patients receive letter of invitation
	8	Use of lay advocates already recruited into the study
	9	Recruitment during real-time GP consultations
Feasibility study	10	Feasibility study testing several key recruitment methods