The path forward
While ASKP leadership supports the idea of a ketamine registry, Dr. Harding said the organization would need assurances the effort would not create a barrier to treatment.
“It will take somebody bringing all of us to the table and figuring that out,” Dr. Harding said.
Conversations like that with stakeholders would be one of the first steps toward creating a registry, Dr. Sanacora said.
“The more complicated we make this registry, the less compliance we’re going to get,” Dr. Sanacora said. “Our first step is to understand the major impediments and figure out how we can make this easier for people.”
Ideally, the registry would take advantage of existing data-collection tools, such as electronic health records (EHR), and include some sort of patient data entry mechanism, Dr. Sanacora said. The effort will also require skilled biostatisticians and a database system that is easy to manage.
And, of course, the registry will need a large number of patients to gather sufficient data to conduct high-quality research to develop treatment guidelines, training, and accreditation standards. A good target would be about 10,000 patients, Dr. Sanacora said.
All of this requires funding, which is the first hurdle registry advocates must clear. Dr. Sanacora is working on identifying funding sources and said that after working on this for years, he is hopeful that progress can be made.
“I had reached a point where it felt like there was no path forward,” Dr. Sanacora said. “But now I have renewed optimism that something can be done. And something does need to be done, largely for public health reasons but also to optimize the treatment.”
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.