5 Things to Look for in a Clinical Trial Partner

Those of us involved in clinical research thought we’d have a few years to adapt to new technologies and the move toward decentralized and virtual trials. Then COVID hit and the evolution accelerated significantly. Unfortunately, as many organizations struggle to keep up, some are at risk of being left behind. If you’re ready to evolve, instead of going the way of the dinosaurs, here are five factors to consider when seeking a clinical trial partner:

For years, the clinical trial world knew that there was an ongoing evolution into more decentralized, virtual or hybrid trials.  Progress was slow, but consistent.  Then COVID hit and this “future” technology was needed TODAY.   Many organizations struggled to keep up with this new paradigm, while others faced the reality of being left behind.   If you’re ready to embrace this new environment and accelerate towards the future, now is the time to explore new approaches to clinical trials. Here are five things to consider:

1. Experience

While the healthcare industry and its technology are rapidly changing, it is vital to choose a company that has seen the trends and adapted to these changes firsthand. This knowledge better prepares your partner for navigating the future of the healthcare industry, thereby ensuring you also have the right expertise in your corner. It is also essential that the partner you choose has experience providing the most optimal strategies for your clinical trial. Conducting an effective clinical trial is step one but just as important is having the expertise to interpret results and quickly adjust trial parameters if needed.

2. Knowledge

As with all knowledge, it is a journey – not a destination – which means a partner willing to continue to learn and make adjustments is someone you can count on for the long haul. The Net Health® Data Solutions for Wound Care trend analytics platform gives industry manufacturers, marketers, scientists and researchers streamlined and simplified access to de-identified data from more than 2 million records. The robust wound care-specific data includes de-identified electronic health record (EHR) information about wounds and therapies, outcomes, product utilization, and more, making it one of the most robust condition-specific sources of information in the industry. 

3. Clarity

We know that keeping up with clinical documentation can be confusing, which is why you should be looking for a partner that can implement solutions seamlessly and offer assistance along the way. A system that is HIPAA-compliant and offers detailed transaction logs to eliminate any guesswork allows you to use technology to connect researchers and patients, as well as provide a range of benefits from recruitment, to mobile imaging, to reports.

Accurate research data via AI-powered 2D and 3D imaging eliminates 90% of measurement errors, which leads to faster completion of trials and real-time access to data as it is collected, which enables higher retention of more data. All of this means streamlined patient recruitment, offering you remote access through an easy-to-use mobile app that can diversify patient populations and accelerate patient recruitment and participation.

4. Accurate Data

One of the biggest challenges in running a clinical trial is selecting and recruiting the right patient population. In wound care research, a successful recruiting effort rests on three legs: patient ethnicity, patient age, and wound type. Real-time access to clinical trial data allows you to conduct quality reviews of image traces and patient data as it’s collected. In addition, by retaining more patient data, you complete your clinical trials on time.

Enablement of decentralized trials reduces the complexity of patient recruitment, simplifies your recruitment process and increases diversity within your research populations, which means faster completion of trials. Patient engagement communications also encourage participants to submit more data and complete their treatment plans, so you don’t have to chase them down and wait to receive their data.

5. Results

You want your clinical trial partner to deliver reliable, accurate results that provide the insights and data needed to make a case for a new product or device or perhaps approval for a new formulation or therapeutic category. To achieve the best results for your practice, you need to find the best fit for your needs. The digital-age trial paradigm will be patient-centric, provider-sensitive, technology-driven and cost-conscious. For wound care researchers, a technology-supported model that employs both virtual assessment and onsite care will be the ticket to improving the participant, provider and study sponsor experience while also managing costs.

Looking for other insights in picking a clinical trial partner? Visit our website.