In a previous post, How Technology Will Evolve Medical Research, we explain where medical research currently resides relative to technology, the direction it needs to take to reach its potential, and how it can make an even more profound impact on the advancement of humanity through more efficiency and funding in studies. We also described how the TrialKit platform is the evolving tool that was created to fulfill that very purpose.
A common argument to the use of current web-based technology in medical research tools is that it’s easier said than done. Research data is valuable and sensitive to the slightest of changes. That sensitivity causes is an environment very resistant to change, and understandably so. Not only is the data one of the most important factors of research, but many studies have regulating agencies scrutinizing every part of the study. It’s often said, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Despite this, we believe we can always be searching for a way to make it better. If we are not finding ways to make the tools better, the industry will remain stagnant. Now more than ever, our research can take on higher velocity, and our research funding can be used on, well, more research. More of doing what we enjoy doing. With the technology harnessed in TrialKit, gone are the days of paying exorbitant prices for tools based on technology from decades past. It’s a web-based world. We live with a plethora of on-demand tools at our fingertips. Data collection and study management tools used in research should be just the same, and that solution is here.
On-demand EDC has a number of industry-changing implications. Here are just four benefits of using true on-demand tools in research:
- On-demand is convenience and ‘point-of-care,’ or on-the-spot data entry. This type of direct data entry not only improves accuracy by removing the error caused most often in transferring data from one source to another, but it removes costly hours that personnel spend entering and checking data.
- On-demand can mean study subjects entering their own data. For example, daily diaries can be created for the subjects to simply fill out on their smartphone. Questionnaires can be filled out directly by subjects with maximum efficiency and accuracy. Trials are no longer limited to the site. They can go everywhere.
- On-demand is freedom to use the tools when you want them, for as long as you want, with no contracts or fees attached. Freedom to actually build your own study and forms from the ground up, with no forced templates or rules, but the flexibility to build your own rules into the study.
- On-demand means you always get the latest version of TrialKit. If we are going to take a step forward and harness today’s technology in research, we must keep up with it as it changes and continue looking forward. With a web-based on-demand system, features can be changed and added to meet the requirements and desires of the latest technology and users. TrialKit not only provides the best tools today – it’s a system designed to sustain longevity and constantly morph with its environment.
Let’s focus briefly on number four. Users will always get the latest version with the most up-to-date tools. In today’s research, this is an obstacle for many organizations. There is a misconception that if the software behind the data collection changes, the entire system must be audited for data integrity. Here’s why that is not true. In TrialKit, the system is separate from the database, which means the tool can undergo changes without the database structure and content being touched.
Most of us bank online, and we can agree, the data in our banks is important. It’s our livelihood. Do we worry about our balances and transactions when the bank updates their apps or makes changes to their online account portals? Certainly not. That would be a waste of resources, because your banking data is independent of the interfaces used to enter the data. Most of us ignore the fact that our banks are constantly updating their features or security standards. EDC should be no different.
Research is the root of human advancement. By introducing better tools for a fraction of the cost, TrialKit is positioned to greatly improve the ease and efficiency of research. On a common front, we can push studies through the pipeline faster with less expense, and ultimately drive human advancement at a rate that parallels the growth of technology.
TrialKit has brought the best tools to the table for the lowest price, the convenience of the technology that surrounds us every day, and with a vision that parallels current evolving technology.
