Decentralized Clinical Trial Platform
Clinical trials are essential to medical research, allowing scientists to test new treatments and therapies on human subjects. Clinical research is an ever-evolving field with multiple changes and improvements implemented over time. There is a need for increased patient recruitment, retention and involvement.
Most research activities happen on a virtual front, given the conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years. Choosing an effective clinical trial platform offers researchers the virtual tools and capabilities necessary today.
Clinical studies and trials are usually conducted at centralized research sites, but a new trend is emerging in the form of decentralized clinical trial platforms. A seamlessly integrated and enabled trial platform is critical for any research team to reduce patient burden and conduct proper and effective research. These platforms aim to decentralize the clinical trial process using digital tools to collect data, engage patients and manage the trial.
What is a Decentralized Clinical Trial Platform?
A further unaccounted-for cost of the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of lives and quality of life was the delays in getting potentially helpful medications to patients in need.
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted many clinical trials, possibly bringing new therapies to market. The rapid use of virtual connections between doctors and patients to enable continuity of care while maintaining social distance has been another side consequence of the epidemic. Patients can do virtual visits and get the much-needed care in such uncertain times.
This technology shift occurs during rapid technological advancement that enables those interactions, including improved internet connectivity, electronic medical records, real-time teleconferencing, smartphone biomedical applications and wirelessly connected medical devices that are more precise, feasible and cost-effective.
Therefore, a decentralized clinical trial platform is a digital platform that allows for the conduct of clinical trials remotely. The goal of these platforms is to make the clinical trial process accessible while also streamlining the trial for study teams.
Benefits of Using Decentralized Clinical Trial Platforms
Decentralized research platforms offer several benefits for both patients and study teams. One of the main advantages is the ability to reach a larger patient population. By conducting trials remotely, many patients who would otherwise be unable to participate due to geographical barriers or mobility issues can now participate in clinical research.
Additionally, these platforms can improve patient engagement and experience. Patients can participate in clinical trials from the comfort of their own homes and have more control over their participation. A high level of engagement and participation can lead to higher retention rates and more accurate data collection.
Digital clinical trial systems also enable the collecting of real-world data. Effective real-world data collection provides valuable insights into the studied therapeutic areas and helps inform clinical development.
Considerations for an Effective Clinical Trial Platform
While decentralized clinical trial platforms are helpful for trials, some considerations must be in place for an effective platform. One of the main considerations is data quality, therefore, it is important to ensure that the data collected through digital means is accurate and reliable.
Handling personal data is also an integral part of clinical research. The clinical trial teams must observe statutory and federal data integrity provisions to avoid sanctions and fines.
Another consideration is patient recruitment. Decentralized trials may make reaching a larger patient population easier, but it is still important to ensure that the recruited patients are appropriate for the study.
With the constant data collection, real-time monitoring is key to ensure the safety of patients and the quality of the data. The platform should have a system to monitor patients remotely in real time and alert the study team if there are any issues.
The Place of Digital Clinical Trials in the Medical Field
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital clinical trial platforms, as traditional in-person trials were no longer feasible. However, even before the pandemic, decentralized clinical trial platforms were on the rise.
The use of digital platforms in clinical trial management will likely continue to grow as it offers many benefits for both patients and clinical trial teams. None the less, the platforms should be effective and data quality should be maintained.
Decentralized clinical trial platforms have the potential to revolutionize clinical trials in the life sciences and pharmaceutical companies. By making the process accessible to patients and streamlining trials for study teams, effective healthcare research can be easily done.
Remote clinical trial platforms are a new frontier in clinical research with the potential to improve clinical research and patient experience.
The medical research field is poised to change with the adoption of technology infrastructure as there is lesser interaction and dependence on traditional research tools and techniques.
As the trend of digital clinical trials continues to grow, digital trial platforms will play a significant role in the future of medical research.
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