5 Things To Look For In A Clinical Trial Software

One of the most complex studies that could ever happen is the research on the efficacy of a medicine or a device on a particular illness. Millions of dollars are involved, as are thousands of hours from participants, the health system, and the medical community. All with the unified goal of helping alleviate the hardships caused by a debilitating disease.

Today, as the world is riddled with surprising new diseases, the medical community has been in overdrive, trying to develop new medicines to counter these diseases and save the population. In 2020, there were about 6,200 drugs in phase three of clinical trial phases globally.

In the past, the manual recording of clinical trials has caused many errors and inaccuracies. There are so many things to account for, and the amount of data entered into a system is vast. There was a need to elevate its management. Thus, the birth of CTMS, or clinical trial management system.

What Is A CTMS?

A CTMS, or clinical trial management software, is a comprehensive project management tool used by pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations, and academic medical centers to effectively plan, manage, and monitor the progress of clinical trials in all phases of their research.

A clinical trial is a critical study of the safety and efficacy of a drug, diet, or medical device. It affects a large portion of the population, so careful analysis and tracking are imperative. If you wish to know more, check it out. But before investing in a new tool to assist you with your research, here are some things you need to look for in clinical trial software:

1. Reduced Data Entry And User Demand

Typically, the four phases of a clinical trial will span several years. It will begin with a small sample and progress to larger groups as the trial proceeds to the subsequent phases. It would be essential that participants only log in once to access their data. It reduces the risk of errors and helps participants navigate the system with less effort.

Additionally, EDC, or electronic data capture, if done efficiently, will reduce the cost of the trial. Using a CTMS will also fast-track the processing of results more than the pen and paper model does. Lastly, you can be sure that the data generated from CTMS is reliable, high-quality, and statistically sound.

• There Is Shared Data And Content

There are several organizations involved in a clinical trial. Aside from the participants, there is the principal investigator, typically a doctor. Nurses and social workers can also have active participation in its completion. Additionally, those who sponsored and funded it could have a stake in the research and would want access to the data at any time.

• It Should Allow Collaboration

Since the CTMS is a repository of the data collected during the research, any person involved can request access to the data or be granted exclusive entry to the analysis of reports. Medical research facilities may need this data for other studies, and pharmaceutical companies could develop vaccine boosters based on the initial results.

Since CTMS can also store information about equipment, vendors, and third-party contractors, their performance can be rated. These ratings can gauge their ability to meet expectations, which will help draft future contracts.

• It Is Scalable

As mentioned, clinical trials have four phases that could span several years. And during these times, integrations may be added to support the trial’s success. Because of this, it would be best if the CTMS would allow changes and be scaled accordingly. If the CTMS cannot be scaled, it would entail more cost to the initiator, and they may have to purchase another tool, which would begin the process over again.

• Help With Oversight Reporting

A clinical trial costs a tremendous amount of money. Investors and sponsors would want transparency on this. A CTMS that allows you to collect valuable data and efficiently consolidate this data so you can present it fluidly to stakeholders will be a breath of fresh air. A tool that will enable you to understand the trial’s intricacies better and show you how best to showcase them to the people who matter will give you a huge sigh of relief.

Conclusion

Clinical trial importance is paramount in the world today. The medical community relies heavily on new drugs to help reduce the crippling effects of novel diseases and highly communicable ones that could eradicate an entire population in a heartbeat. Thankfully, technology has provided the world with a sophisticated tool like a CTMS to help efficiently track the progress of clinical trials. Now, doctors can help successfully treat diseases one drug at a time.