There’s no doubt that clinical operations leaders would like to have a single source of truth for their data. At the same time, however, the quest for best-of-breed solutions across the clinical landscape have led to a cluster of different solutions – CTMS, CDMS, RTMS, EDC, eCOA, eTMF, and beyond. As a result, companies have ended up with the same data replicated across different systems, rather than a unified clinical platform.
Point-to-point integration attempts have gone some way to integrating different platforms, but don’t give organizations clinical trial transparency. Increasingly, clinical operations leaders recognize these challenges and are seeking more holistic ways to conduct clinical data management.
During a recent webcast, ArisGlobal carried out an insightful survey, which found that visibility and reporting inefficiencies remain a headache. Most notable was the high percentage of responders pointing to lack of systems integration during complex trials as a major challenge. Clearly, companies are looking for a way to simplify the integration of technology for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Unfortunately, many companies are still struggling with the pain points that come with “point-to-point attempts to integrate” and that fail to account for the need to connect the many different points of entry, such as data collected from trial participants, lab data, EDC data, site monitoring, safety data, and analysis.
Single Source of Truth
For many, the concept of a unified clinical platform that offers an end-to-end approach is poorly understood. Companies are often either unaware or sceptical that such a solution exists. A unified platform brings everything together to create a single source of truth, enables standardization, secures clinical data, and enables early adoption of new technologies.
Among PV and IT leaders who are ahead of the curve there is clearly a move toward adopting a unified platform, with 75% of survey respondents indicating a move in that direction. This ranges from IT leadership fully engaged in development of a unified platform, to business and IT leaders investigating and consulting on such a platform, to the organization beginning to understand the possibilities, to the business just beginning to investigate a unified approach.
Certainly, the survey indicates progress toward the life sciences industry fully adopting an end-to-end approach still has a long way to go. However, it shows that fast movers are fully aware that their current “integrated” approach does not serve the organization and are taking steps to achieve a single source of truth that will help the organization achieve trial and business objectives.
Read the ArisGlobal white paper on the benefits of a unified clinical platform to learn more about how a unified clinical platform can deliver a more progressive way to manage clinical trials and allow companies to leverage new digital opportunities that can change the face of clinical operations.