Medicines can be the lifelines of the health care system as they play a vital role in preventing, treating, and managing various conditions, contributing significantly to the overall health and wellbeing of individuals. While these medications are found in every nook and cranny of the country, we often tend to overlook the efforts that go into ensuring their efficacy and safety. With clinical trials, the journey from lab to patient takes its most crucial turn, revealing the true potential of each medication.
Clinical trials are scientific studies that test the efficacy of the medication in treating or preventing specific diseases. These trials also evaluate the safety of the drugs by understanding the potential adverse effects.
How do patients' insights shape decision-making in clinical trials?
Patients play an active part in the development of the product lifecycle and in shaping the narrative of a clinical trial. From their motivations to their daily lives, each patient's journey through a clinical trial is unique. Their insights provide a real-world perspective including disease burden, treatment complexities, and trial participation barriers along with the potential side effects, and the overall impact on the participant’s quality of life. This paves the way for clinical interventions to be aligned with the patient’s preference and understanding.
Advancements in technology have provided a range of digital tools that empower patients to actively participate in clinical trials. Mobile applications, web-based platforms, and wearable devices have become instrumental in capturing Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), monitoring adherence to study protocols, facilitating real-time data collection and enhancing the objectivity and credibility of the trial data.
These tools enable patients to conveniently report their symptoms, side effects, and overall experiences directly to clinical investigators, eliminating the need for cumbersome paper-based methods and ensuring timely data capture.
Traditionally, patients had to visit clinics or research centres for regular assessments and data collection during clinical trials. Remote monitoring not only improves patient comfort and convenience but also reduces the burden on clinic resources and enhances data accuracy.
Tele-health has gained significant traction in recent times, particularly in response to the pandemic. This technology allows patients to have virtual visits with health care providers, eliminating the need for in-person consultations. In the context of clinical trials, tele-health can be leveraged to perform remote study visits, collect patient feedback, and provide support throughout the trial period.
Clinical trial designs are expected to become more complex in the future, generating even greater data volume and diversity. The future of clinical trials is expected to be remote and decentralised, with the use of technology to enhance patient and health care provider involvement.
Patient engagement in clinical trials reflects a future where trials are not just scientific achievements but compassionate journeys, shaped by the unique needs and experiences of every patient involved.
The writer is MD, executive director, medical sciences, Parexel India.