Economic measures in clinical research refer to which of the following?

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Economic measures in clinical research capture all resources used to run a study, not just the patient-related expenses. This means including both direct costs and the overhead that supports the trial. Direct costs are the expenses tied to the trial’s activities for participants—things like visits, tests, medications, procedures, and specific site fees. Indirect costs, or overhead, cover institutional support such as administrative services, space, utilities, and general management that enable the trial to occur but aren’t billed to a single participant. Seeing both types together gives a complete picture of the trial’s economic impact, which is why including direct and indirect costs is the best choice. The other options miss part of the cost picture—direct costs only leaves out overhead, indirect costs only omits participant- and procedure-related expenses, and capital costs with salaries isn’t the standard way to define economic measures for a trial.