Author: Zach Hales, Director of Product Management
Snapshot:
- Barriers to Innovation: Structural resistance and financial constraints hinder the adoption of technologies in healthcare and clinical trials, impacting patient care and process efficiencies.
- Patient-Centric Practices: Emphasizing patient needs through flexible participation options and clear communication improves trial recruitment, patient retention, and overall trial experiences.
- Collaborative Integration: Strengthening partnerships with technology vendors and ensuring system integrations enhance data quality and streamline trial processes, ultimately expediting the delivery of new medicines.
The healthcare industry has been slower to adopt technological innovations, particularly in clinical trials, despite the rapid advancements in other sectors. There are several reasons for this, but it can do patients a disservice when we do not utilize technology available to safely advance medicine.
This blog post will first discuss the barriers to technology adoption in healthcare and clinical trials, followed by two strategies to further support technology uptake in the industry.
Barriers to technology adoption in healthcare and clinical trials
During a recent panel discussion with Suvoda customers and healthcare leaders, panelists shared two potential reasons for slow healthcare technology adoption: structural resistance and financial constraints.
- Structural resistance to technological innovation
As an ecosystem, the healthcare industry struggles to adopt new technologies. An ongoing shortage of healthcare workers is part of this challenge;1 with limited staff, the already-overstretched healthcare workforce may struggle to take on additional technologies within medicine and clinical research. What's more, the need to avoid introducing risks to patient health and safety may also deter technology uptake. - Financial constraints and the digital divide
Financial constraints and inequalities are contributing to a healthcare digital divide. Countries with socialized medicine may not have sufficient funds to implement innovative technologies. In contrast, countries with private insurance systems may have more resources available for innovation, but the benefits of innovation are unlikely to be felt equally across communities.
Addressing these foundational issues is needed for the advancement and success of clinical trials. While clinical trials could continue to run the way they always have, the adoption of new technologies stands to improve trial efficiencies and patient care, support more advanced data analysis, and in doing so, deliver new potential treatments to patients who need them the most.
Technology Adoption Strategy #1: Deeply understand patient needs and provide flexible participation options
The journey to bring a new medicine to market is a lengthy and expensive one. The median cost to get a new medicine to market is almost $1 billion dollars, yet less than 14% of clinical trial therapies are approved by the FDA. The clinical trial industry needs to adapt and improvise to bring potentially life-saving therapies to diverse populations faster.
Adopting more patient-centric practices and solutions offers the prospect for the industry to evolve safely and has remarkable potential. We’ve seen through partnerships with sponsors and from discussions with patients that patients’ experience improves when studies take their physical and psychological journeys into consideration throughout the clinical trial. Other benefits also include:
- Improved patient participation
- Improved patient diversity
- Reduced patient dropouts
- Maintain patient safety
Clinical trials looking to deepen their patient understanding need to recognize barriers they face, such as travel challenges, fear, and poor communication about trial therapies.
Sponsors have several tools at their disposal to address these issues effectively, such as:
- Clear, interactive consent information to help patients better understand the therapies involved
- Offering flexible participation options, such as the choice of remote visits when appropriate, to ease patients’ trial experience
- Utilizing wearable devices for reporting outcome metrics and enhance data quality
eConsent is an excellent example of a tool that can provide patients with the time they need to read, comprehend, and ask questions about trial information. Direct-to-patient (DtP) drug shipping meanwhile can reduce their travel burden, making trial participation more convenient. Simplifying the process for patients can lead to more accurate and effective trials.
Technology Adoption Strategy #2: Foster strong technology vendor collaborations and system integrations
Technology solutions such as eConsent, IRT & DtP drug shipping, telehealth visits, remote monitoring, and eCOA are all tools sponsors can use to respond to patients’ needs. These solutions also create better convenience for both patients and trial providers when well-integrated.
We've seen the benefits of integrating Suvoda IRT – unified on the Suvoda Platform with eConsent and eCOA – with other products such as EDC. This integration helps create a more seamless digital experience for sponsors and sites, supporting accurate data transfer and timely information sharing. We also noted that early and consistent collaboration with other vendors allows us to incorporate integrated technology solutions into trial protocols, simplifying the collection of data used for regulatory submission.
These types of planned technology integrations can help keep studies on track, support patient safety, and facilitate smoother trial experiences for sites and patients alike.
Innovating together for the future of healthcare
Increasing vendor collaborations and technology integrations, along with centering the patient experience, are crucial for the industry’s adaptation. Suvoda is excited to be part of this shift in the clinical trials industry, as the benefits are substantial and impactful. Now is the time to adopt safe adaptations that can deliver more accurate trials, reduce patient dropout rates, and ultimately expedite the delivery of medicines to those who need them most.
ON-DEMAND WEBINAR
Precision Technologies for Oncology Clinical Trials: Streamlining Patients’, Sites’ and Sponsors’ Trial Experience:
In this on-demand webinar, dive in on:
- The unique operational challenges posed by uncertainties in oncology clinical trials
- How eConsent, IRT, and eCOA can enhance clinical trial operational efficiency and minimize stress on clinical teams
- Real-world, case study examples of flexible IRT functionalities to successfully streamline complex trial designs
- The future landscape of cancer treatment innovations and their implications on clinical trial technology and operations
References
- “Health Workforce,” World Health Organization, accessed June 6, 2024, https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-workforce.