Clinical trials act as the central mechanism for an unbiased assessment of proposed advances in health, healthcare, and evaluation of comparative options for approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
FREMONT, CA: Over the last few years, digital technologies have invaded every aspect of our life. From communications to our food habits, every element is driven by technology. Organizations are leveraging the latest technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing to enhance and expand their businesses. The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing with the impact of digital technologies. Digital healthcare technologies have, for long, had a reputation of being over-promising and under-delivering. However, this has changed in recent years. Digital healthcare technology offers solutions that can transform clinical trials if backed by adequate finance and regulatory support.
However, this cannot be achieved with traditional research methods of transforming paper to the digital format. It requires a complete rethinking and re-engineering of the clinical trial process, centered on the participant. While some trials could be entirely digital in a virtual environment, many will need a hybrid of virtual and clinical site-based activities. Clinical trials act as the central mechanism for an unbiased assessment of proposed advances in health, healthcare, and evaluation of comparative options for approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. They can be of the highest value only if the setting is consistent with clinical practices. Participants should be representative of the individuals who will use the new therapies or delivery approaches. However, the existing clinical research infrastructure is changing at a minimal pace, often leading to clinical trials being both logistically challenging and excessively expensive.`
There is a clear need for a better solution to the current clinical trial system. While the public is appreciative and values clinical research, less than 10 percent of the eligible population is asked to participate. The additional time and travel commitments too often required for clinical trial participation can lead to many interested people declining the opportunity.
The problem, however, is not just restricted to the participants. Clinicians are often dispirited by the numerous repetitive practices required in the current clinical trial enterprise. With the addition of unnecessary available digital data sources being overused, clinicians avoid asking patients to participate. This limited enrollment often leads to health decisions based on results obtained from an artificially homogenous population or engineered in a vacuum of high-quality evidence. The relative lack of diverse participants and low enrollment leads to clinical trials taking double the planned amount of time. The result is long, unreliable clinical trials that cost a fortune.
The current clinical trial system does not justify the available technology. Organizations need to scale up their operations to the digital format and leverage the technology available in hand.
