Clinical trials necessitate a large amount of people power. Furthermore, many aspects of clinical trials necessitate highly specialized assistance, whether in the form of process expertise or the capacity to supply technical solutions. Few research sponsors, and even fewer CROs, have teams in place to address every minute detail of a trial. Not to mention that clinical trials in general are growing increasingly complex, with data coming from an almost infinite number of sources and pressure to make studies more inclusive. Finding competent partners is crucial to success for all of these reasons.
When it comes to selecting technology partners, before you start crunching figures and revising your study designs, you should consider this: how simple is this technology to use? Whatever possible benefits a technology promises, such as the capacity to search for new endpoints or analyze data in real-time, you will not achieve the value you seek if the technology is too onerous for your users to manage.
Ease for Sites
Clinical trial site personnel are quite busy. To execute their tasks, they already have to interface with a variety of software and other technologies. When technology is difficult to use or does not interact well with other systems, site coordinators will often avoid it, preferring to discover a workaround or resort to older procedures that they are more familiar with. When introducing new technology, it must be as simple and inconspicuous as possible.
Using technology that allows users to hop in and learn their way around the system with relative ease can help training run much more smoothly and swiftly. This is especially crucial if the new technology represents a significant shift, such as switching to a new electronic data capture (EDC) system or other core technology. Site teams can be difficult to persuade, so the easier the technology is to use, the more likely a smooth transition will occur and the sooner you will begin to reap the benefits of the new technology you are investing in.
Ease for Patients
An increasing number of clinical trial designs rely on active participation from patients. Remote data collection may include eConsent and eCOA (electronic clinical outcome assessments) that can be submitted by smart device or web-based software, as well as data from wearable medical equipment. It is impossible to predict how technologically savvy a certain patient would be. Furthermore, a patient's health conditions may make certain jobs more difficult, such as if their vision is compromised or they have neurological issues.
This means that patients require technological tools that make the experience straightforward and stress-free. While evaluating technology vendors, you must assess whether or not their solutions adequately recognize the patient experience. You simply cannot afford to deploy technologies that frustrate patients in a clinical study that is primarily decentralized. This can result in dropouts, and you'll have to bear the cost of extended research timelines as you seek out new patients, and you'll almost certainly end up switching technology vendors anyhow.
Ease for Sponsors
We've talked about site teams and patients, but whatever technology you use, it should be as simple to use for the sponsor as feasible. You understand that things must function well and simply for external users, but how can you ensure that this occurs? The greatest technology partners are developing solutions to assist you in dealing with problems on your own. Certainly, they provide extensive training and support services as needed, but the finest partners empower you to manage your eClinical technology platforms.
This means you can get started right away and create research with your users' experiences in mind. Partners who provide low-code or no-code software imply that you don't need a lot of coding knowledge to tailor your research or easily make adjustments during a trial. Seek for partners who offer an Open API as well (application programming interface). This open design helps to ensure that any new technologies you implement operate well with the ones you already have. It's your study and your data, therefore look for partners who don't need to push themselves (at a cost) into your data gathering and management techniques any further than is absolutely essential.
Clinical trials are not easy to conduct. Yet, there are technologies and people behind those solutions who understand how to simplify the difficulties of data collecting and management for all stakeholders. When choosing new technology partners, examine how much consideration and care they've put into considering your users' experiences. After all, better user experiences will result in more consistent data collection and higher data quality.
Conclusion:
Clinical trials have long been the gold standard for determining the safety and efficacy of novel medical therapies, and they have played an important role in the advancement of healthcare. Yet, the clinical trial scene is fast changing, owing to technological breakthroughs, shifting legislation, and growing demand for more efficient and patient-centered procedures. A new era of clinical trials is emerging as we move forward, bringing intriguing potential and transformative outcomes.
Clinical trials have a bright future in terms of furthering medical research and improving patient care. Big data, virtual and decentralized trials, AI and ML technologies, adaptive trial designs, and patient interaction will transform the clinical research landscape, making it more efficient, inclusive, and impactful.
At Octalsoft, we have already begun stepping into the future with our comprehensive suite of eClinical software solutions. Do you want to know how you can overcome existing clinical trial challenges, accelerate the development of innovative therapies, and usher in a new era of evidence-based medicine that benefits patients worldwide with Octalsoft? Book a Demo with us Now!
