Decentralized Clinical Trials: Are They Here To Stay?

Decentralized clinical trials offer many advantages over traditional site-based studies: Are they here to stay?

Traditional clinical trials place a significant burden on both patients and family caregivers. Study participants face costs for transportation, lodging, meals, and dependent care.¹ ² These burdens mean that getting adequate patient enrollment is one of the top issues facing medical investigators.² ³

With the rise of COVID-19, enrolling patients in traditional studies has become even more difficult. Decentralized clinical trials offer an alternative means of study participation. They offer several advantages over traditional, site-based clinical trials. However, without the proper infrastructure, conducting these studies can also be difficult.

In this article, we discuss how decentralized clinical trials differ from site-based clinical trials. We look at the advantages they offer—as well as the difficulties they present. We also look at StudySource, an innovative solution from Veradigm® that can help investigators run decentralized clinical trials more smoothly and easily.