Electronic Integration Costs

Some of the most important issues facing our industry today center on the true role of electronic data capture (EDC). Should it be considered part of electronic health records (EHR)? Who owns the integration of IT data management across clinical trials and patient records in clinical science—and how should the costs be covered?

These were only a few of the questions that arose following a survey conducted by the eClinical Forum last year measuring the global use of EDC in clinical trials—a follow-up to a similar survey conducted in 2001. Of course the world is a bit flatter now than it was then, and the facilitators expected that the data would reflect some significant changes in the industry.

Yet, when the final results were analyzed, what they revealed was still surprising. In particular, despite current pressure on the industry to connect health care and clinical trial systems, and to improve efficiency in care, treatment, and documentation for patients and trial subjects, clinical trials and patient health records still cited an 80% to 100% data input duplication rate.