Lately, I’ve been sharing a story from the history of aviation and its surprising parallels to today’s decentralized clinical trials.
In the early 1950s, there was a significant effort to understand why pilots struggled with flying new jets. The investigators gathered data about pilots: their height, along with the length of their arms, legs, torso, and more. They crunched all that data to design what they believed would be the perfect pilot seat. They were confident that this perfect seat would provide optimal visibility and access to controls so that all pilots could fly more safely and successfully.
Can you guess what happened? That perfect, one-size-fits-all seat was a complete failure. Turns out that one size fits none. The ultimate solution – something that we all take for granted today – an adjustable seat.
I bring up this story because many clinical trial sponsors and CROs are still searching for the perfect, one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, sponsors and CROs should be looking for a partner whose solution is akin to an adjustable pilot seat.
How would that look in a modern clinical trial?
At the highest level, a partner should collaborate with you to achieve your trial goals while aligning with your culture and supporting your workflows. Different indications require nuanced approaches to trial design and execution. It stands to reason that there should be flexibility to tailor every component of the trial solution.
Let’s consider Consent as just one example.
For some trials, it makes sense to use e-consent; for others, it doesn’t. If you choose to use e-consent, maybe all you need is an e-consent solution that runs on the participant’s phone. You can do electronic signatures and be set. Or maybe you’re deploying your solution in multiple countries, some of which will use electronic signatures while others will need traditional print-to-sign capabilities. Even in countries requiring print-to-sign, some will want the ability to upload that information. Others will not – they just want to know that it was completed.
Configurability not Conformity
Datacubed Health brings this “adjustable seat” approach to every element of our platform. We support traditional, hybrid, and fully decentralized clinical trial designs. This flexible solution can include e-consent, eCOA/ePRO, virtual visits, reminders, patient engagement and content, design and safety, or not. Our solution provides flexibility – within a timeline – to accommodate the needs of your trial and the requirements of the regions it covers.
Like pilots and like clinical trials, no two patients are the same either, so we also commit to flexibility in patient engagement. Datacubed Health helps sponsors to prepare to adapt – continually monitoring how patients are engaging and then refining that support based on each participant’s needs. The best way to operationalize the modern clinical trial, whether it’s traditional, decentralized, or hybrid, isn’t to plug in a standard solution. It’s to know the right questions and considerations and address them with a technology platform designed for flexibility. Check out this quick demo of how it’s done, and when you’re ready, we’ll be here to answer your questions.