Patient-facing technologies are becoming increasingly crucial in the future of hybrid and virtual trials, particularly for new medications and medical devices. They let remote patients participate in clinical trials that they previously could not. Patient recruitment and even retention are critical components of the clinical trial process. But how is the industry adapting? To ensure that patient-centric technology is more appealing to patients, Veristat sponsors and clinicians must provide their patients with a cohesive bundle of intuitive, accessible, and robust tools.
Improved data diversity
A decentralized model encourages participation from a wider range of patient populations. Participants from diverse populations, such as the elderly, those living in remote areas, ethnic minorities, and those that are currently underrepresented during traditional onsite designs, can benefit from decentralized clinical trial planning. Clinical trial sponsors can now expect a more diverse patient population and patient data. By removing barriers to patient clinical trial participation, you can collect more diverse data, simulating a real-world setting and increasing the clinical trial’s external validity.
Real-time communication with patients
Communication between participants and study site personnel is critical in any clinical trial because it keeps participants motivated and improves retention. DCTs can use ePRO (electronic patient reporting outcomes) tool to keep in touch with participants in real time. These tools enable participants to report symptoms plus other data as it occurs, thus reducing the possibility of missed data points and safety concerns. Furthermore, the use of telemedicine allows study participants to interact with study teams at their leisure. eReminders can also be used to help patients remember to share important data consistently and on a real-time basis.
More flexible
Traditional clinical trials are typically built around research facilities, where the clinical research team monitor trial data from a local population. Throughout the study, patients travel to the research site to complete visits. This procedure may cause significant disruption to their daily activities. DCT, on the other hand, takes a patient-centered approach by utilizing virtual tools like telemedicine as well as wearable devices to conduct remote visits and monitor data. As a result, by allowing participants to contribute data from anywhere, the study becomes more flexible.
Data collection and monitoring are carried out remotely with DCTs, which means that participants don’t have to travel long distances to get to the site. This lowers the barriers to participation. Also, hybrid trials help relieve some of the participants’ burdens. As such, the use of wearables, telemedicine, and drug delivery can drastically cut trip time.
Better patient recruitment and retention
DCT can help improve clinical trial participant recruitment and retention. Successful retention entails employing mechanisms that keep participants in a study positively motivated and engaged to complete the trial. The patient’s perspective must be recognized and emphasized. When participants perceive a considerable patient load, the likelihood of attrition increases. Dropout rates are increased by factors such as frequent scheduled onsite visits. Patient centricity in the form of fewer site visits can all be realized without interfering with trial operations. DCTs are centered on the trial participant and can alleviate such burdens through the use of telehealth services along with support remote visits and even wearable devices for collecting virtual clinical trial data. The trial design must incorporate this digital tech while adhering to strict guidelines.
Decentralized trials use cutting-edge technologies to share accurate clinical study data. They accomplish this through a combination of solutions such as electronic consent forms, and directly distributing drugs to patients.
