The Clinical Trial Evolution: Unlocking Technology’s Value in a Post-Pandemic World

Never has the pace of change been more rapid in the clinical trial industry. Many new approaches to clinical research were pressed forward during the COVID-19 pandemic, most notably the move towards decentralization.

This shift to virtual trials has shed a spotlight on the need for more remote elements to improve participant recruitment, engagement, understanding, and retention. As a result, we have seen technologies that were kept at arm’s length or only occasionally used, being fully embraced. A wide variety of alternative approaches were quickly implemented during the pandemic, with the most common technologies leveraged being remote monitoring, virtual visits, EHR, and eConsent.

To better explore what clinical trial management will look like in a post-pandemic world, Informa Pharma Intelligence and Oracle surveyed professionals involved in clinical trials to understand the adaptations that have been made to clinical trials, the effect, and the impact of these changes on the future of clinical trials.  Key findings from this research include:

• Newly adopted methods embraced during the pandemic had a positive impact on clinical trials: 82% of respondents who implemented new clinical trial approaches during the pandemic report they have had a positive impact on clinical trials overall.
• The industry is confident in the data generated from newly adopted clinical trial approaches. 92% of respondents who implemented new clinical trial methods during the pandemic are equally or more confident in the data collected from these methods, compared to data collected via pre-pandemic methods.
• Newly adopted clinical trial methods are here to stay – 97% respondents who implemented new clinical trial methods during the pandemic indicated their organization will continue using at least one of these new methods.

When it comes to technology in clinical trials, it is obvious that what was once novel, is now mainstream. As sponsors and CROs look to embrace decentralized solutions, it’s imperative that they carefully consider which technologies will help them scale and grow for the future.

 

eConsent: The First Step to Clinical Trial Success Today and Tomorrow

During COVID-19, eConsent functionality went from being an optional add-on to a feature that CROs and sponsors considered essential.

As they say … “you only get one chance to make a first impression”. The consenting phase is a critical time because it’s the beginning of the journey with a participant. It’s critical to secure informed consent which formally includes the participant in the study.  The journey is critical to ensuring the participant follows the study protocol, that the patient stays in the trial.

eConsent technology can help connect patients/trial participants with organizations in a new way that will improve:

• Engagement with participants
• Education & understanding of participants​
• Timeliness of participant onboarding​
• Data quality​
• Staff workflows by reducing paper burdens​

But to make the eConsent process work, clinical trial professionals need to find an eConsent solution that’s compliant, efficient, and equipped with a rich array of features: from eSignature, version control, fillable forms, and integration capabilities.

Interlace Health digitizes the process and eliminates paper consent, improving understanding and engagement, and ultimately accelerating and streamlining start-up times – leading to cost and time savings. The solution integrates seamlessly with your EHR and clinical trial software and is customized to meet your remote, in-person, or hybrid consenting needs.

We recognize that the move to decentralized trials is not a simple flip of a switch. As the leader in healthcare eForms technology for the past 30 years, we are here to help you navigate this new landscape.

 

Ready for a More Reliable Way to Consent Participants to Clinical Trials? Contact us today.