Off-the-Shelf Patient Compliance in
Oncology Trials
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform poised to
streamline patient engagement in oncology trials.
Presentation by Tim Davies, Executive Director, Delve Health
Article by Dan Stanton, Managing Editor, Informa Connect
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform poised to streamline patient engagement in oncology trials.
Continuing the theme of decentralized trials (DCTs), the third program highlighted by the judges came from Tim Davies, executive director at Delve Health, a digital healthcare and clinical trials platform and services company that partners its technology solutions for sponsors undergoing Phase I - IV studies.
The essence of the proposal revolves around the introduction of a software-as-a-service (SaaS), patient engagement platform, equipped with an off-the-shelf eConsent and electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO)/electronic clinical outcome assessment (eCOA) module capability. The technology, Davies said, can address the often-prohibitive start-up and implementation costs involved in using platforms for patient engagement, which tend to make oncology trials end up either being under a strict financial burden or behind the times.
“By utilizing our SaaS platform for a nominal monthly subscription fee, oncology centers around the world can carry out patient studies and collect real-world patient data in real time, through eConsent, automated ePros, and questionnaires without the patient’s burden of traveling and having to be physically at a site,” Davies said in the proposal. (Davies had to pull out of the CTE event itself due to personal reasons.) “Our SaaS solution will be unique within the marketplace, as well as to our own end-to-end, fully customizable commercial platform.”
The concept aims to transform how cancer patients engage with clinical trials by using Delve Health’s Clinical StudyPal technology – already on the market – with wearables, biosensors, and other connected devices to remotely monitor and capture real-time patient data. The integration would, he said, allow easy setup of eConsent, easy entering of automated patient reported outcomes, and the automated send out of questionnaires.
“The software allows you to reach out to your oncology study patients without having to require them to visit a site, fill out paper forms, call to make an appointment, or have a nurse call the patient directly to remind them to fill in a form, Pros, or questionnaires on paper,” he said.
“Using our SaaS platform and its automated workflows will reduce mistakes caused by human error-like incorrect and incomplete paperwork or paperwork missing altogether. Our SaaS system is equipped with a continuum workflow; therefore, your staff or patients can’t move on to the next tasks until all the questions and tasks are fulfilled in the correct order.”
Delve Health believes the approach will enhance the accuracy of trial outcomes, while also empowering patients by providing them with a more active role in their treatment journey. However, Davies and the firm acknowledge, along with the “remarkable opportunities” the platform holds, there are challenges presented.
“Barriers include the need to address data privacy concerns and establish secure data-sharing protocols to comply with stringent regulatory standards. However, the potential benefits are substantial. Furthermore, digital data can bridge the gap between traditional clinical trial settings and patients’ daily lives, enabling a more accurate representation of treatment impact and the patient experience off-site,” he said.
