Over the years, technology has made its way into different aspects of clinical trials bringing in significant progress in the field. There is no denying that in a clinical trial, the role of data is pivotal, and we know how the electronic data capture system (EDC) has revolutionized data collection. It is not unknown to us how the private cloud EDC system has grown its popularity in the clinical trial field. It has made data capturing fast and reliable. Apart from collecting patient data accurately, a smart EDC can monitor and report data in the database collected from different clinical sites. It also works as a repository of data that researchers can access at any point in time. And it’s not just EDC where technology has made its contribution. We are well aware of how the Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) allows sponsors and CROs to manage the study, site selection, patient recruitment, tracking budgets, and other management activities. In short, an efficient CTMS helps to focus on operational oversight of a clinical trial study. CTMS contributes to conducting a clinical trial seamlessly.
What does seamless data look like exactly?
While EDC and CTMS systems work wonderfully on their own, they don’t usually play nicely together, creating stalls in workflow and efficiency. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an integrated system that can make things easier for sponsors and CROs? Let’s look at some of the benefits that researchers, CROs, and sponsors can have when these two powerful systems are integrated and work in sync.
The success of a clinical trial depends largely on the quality of data. Redundant and duplicate data can delay the trial time while it also affects the trial’s overall cost. Wouldn’t it be great to have a system in place that can eliminate both duplicate data and overall project costs? That’s the most significant benefit of the integration of CTMS and EDC. It brings a data automation process your way that can help identify duplicate data and eliminate them, thus saving cost and time. What it means is you can focus more on the actual trial study.
When you have two different systems in place, the same data can be entered into the system in two different ways. What this means is that there is a significant chance of data inconsistency. Having inconsistent data can interfere with the process of how data gets analyzed during your clinical trial study. But a smart integration between the two systems will ensure that data inconsistencies are eliminated.
As mentioned already, a clinical trial’s success depends on data and how data is analyzed during the study. Having an integrated system means one can have access to all the data in one place. Researchers and sponsors can pull out data for more in-depth analysis at any point in time. An integrated system is well capable of generating more actionable reports for trial studies. Additionally, all the data gets stored in a centralized system, creating a repository of actionable data that can be pulled out and used for better forecasting and future trials.
While CTMS and EDC applications offer invaluable data separately, an integrated system helps you get a holistic view of the research environment that poises you in a better position for the data study and analysis, which wouldn’t have been possible in two separated systems. For example, the solution by Cloudbyz makes it easy to consolidate systems, making it easier for users to manage trial operations.
Wrapping up
There are many aspects to consider before establishing an EDC-CTMS system integration process for your trial studies. One needs to keep in mind that integration is a complex process and requires a thorough evaluation. Replacing different vendors with a single integrated system means you have an impact on business processing along with the cultural resistance to the change. However, when you weigh the pros and cons, it brings out the best that allows CROs, sponsors, sites, and everyone involved in the process to reduce trial time and cost, which is what matters the most at the end of the day.