Decentralized trials and modern technology is becoming increasingly important in medical research as we strive to find cures for deadly diseases.
Researchers are adopting the decentralised trial method more than ever before. Decentralised trials are shown to improve patient cooperation and produce more accurate results thanks to their ability to draw from a wider pool of test subjects. However, while they’re an improvement over centralised trials in several ways, they also pose some challenges.
This post will explain how decentralised trials and modern technology work together to save lives and improve health care. We’ll also offer solutions to some challenges decentralised trials face.
What are Decentralised Clinical Trials?
Decentralised clinical trials is a clinical trial’s approach that involves bringing trial’s activities to the patients to eliminate the need for patients to travel to a trial site. In addition, this approach looks at areas where sponsors and CROs like Obviohealth.com can use technology as an alternative to the traditional systems that often lead to high patient dropout rates. In most cases, decentralised clinical trials do not eliminate the need for physical patient contact but work as a hybrid approach. The two frameworks of the approach are:
- Direct-to-patient or remote: In this approach, the CROs will collect data in the patient’s most convenient environments, like their home. It is also known as “site-less” as it does not require the study participant to visit a given trial site.
- Hybrid: This approach combines the use of both remote locations and sites. It aims at giving the participant more flexibility on how they take part in the trial.
Though these approaches may have some differences, they both use digital tools to minimise the use of physical locations and intermediaries. All these changes facilitate patient comfort, leading to reduced dropout rates and increased study effectiveness.
Challenges of Decentralised Clinical Trials
Despite the numerous advantages of decentralised clinical trials, its adoption is still low since healthcare is a complex industry with many regulations. Some other challenges of decentralised clinical trials include:
- The tedious process of finding new technology vendors and approving them may delay trials.
- It is hard to find specially-trained couriers who can deliver medical supplies, medication and equipment legally and safely .
- Due to the inconsistency of the visiting HCPs, the approach can be distressing to participants, especially the elderly and those with serious diseases.
- It is challenging to manage the high volume of data received via wearables and apps
- Unlike on-site trials, time management may be challenging for the HCPs as they must visit multiple locations in a day.
- Some participants, especially the elderly, may be more comfortable with in-person visits than using technology and administering tests without help.
- Since no experts provide guidance or fixes during technology failures, the participants’ data may get lost, thus corrupting the results or delaying the trials.
Despite the above challenges, the benefits of decentralised clinical trials like improved patient retention and recruitment make it an approach to consider. Furthermore, decentralised clinical trials eliminate disruptions in the participants’ day-to-day lives thanks to their ability to simplify clinical trials.
Benefits of Decentralised Clinical Trials
Whether fully decentralised or hybrid, decentralised clinical trials have a huge potential to improve clinical trials. Some of the benefits of decentralised clinical trials include:
- Accelerating patient recruitment: The use of technology in decentralised clinical trials makes it easier to recruit participants, especially in rural areas where travel to and from sites is a challenge.
- More informed and engaged patient: Due to the use of technology, patients become more engaged
and complete their tasks honestly and accurately. - Increased participant’s diversity: Since technology eliminates distance challenges, it is easier to recruit participants from a wider pool.
- Improved data accuracy: Unlike paper records that can be lost or damaged, data collected using technologies, like apps, wearables and smartphones is easier to store and organise.
- More diverse and applicable data sets: By monitoring patients using wearables and apps, CROs and sponsors get information in real-time and free from bias.
- Easier analysis of results: Through technology, you can standardise the sharing and collection of data.
Decentralized Trials and Modern Technology Final Thoughts
With the ongoing improvements in technology, the health industry must also modernise to meet the ever-changing customer demands. One of the ways to promote flexibility in clinical trials is through decentralising clinical trials through the use of available technologies. This will eliminate common bottlenecks in recruiting participants, retaining them, gathering data and its analysis.