Some of the biggest subject areas included overburdened clinical sites along with patient retention.
To improve clinical research, these key areas must change. Budgeting and contracting have always been the top burden for sites, but in a new survey, technology jumped to the top for the first time.
This is significant. On average, sites are managing 12 different systems for a single study. In one oncology study, Advarra counted 22 different systems which didn’t count the wearable devices being used in the trial being used to manage the trial.
Single sign-on for sites
One solution was announced during SCOPE – a single sign-on. Regulatory review solutions and clinical research technology expert, Advarra has added a new capability to its site technology that allows sites to use just its sign-in credentials for its systems which they say eliminates the swivel chair effect and streamlining processes.
The company says its new single sign-on (SSO) capabilities empower site staff to use their site-sanctioned credentials to access key systems including sponsor-provided technology.
An industry-first, Advarra SSO delivers a much-needed simplification process which it believes is crucial to sites, particularly with the number of technologies continuing to grow.
Managing more technology
According to a 2023 Study Activation Survey, six in 10 sites are managing more technology than five years ago with nearly 70% reporting six or more logins per study and some reporting as many as 20 logins per study. To address this complexity, 81% say using their site credentials to access various systems would be valuable.
Advarra’s site technology already enables SSO within Advarra’s ecosystem, and now allows sites to access Advarra’s industry-leading Longboat technology with their credentials. Longboat connects all clinical research stakeholders – sites, sponsors, and patients – to centralize and simplify trials and deliver a better clinical research experience for all.
“Large academic medical centers are conducting hundreds of trials for dozens of different sponsors, and this comes with a myriad of systems each with individual login credentials. Many staff require spreadsheets just to keep track of all their different passwords,” explained Brian Sevier, chief operating officer at Yale Center for Clinical Investigation.
Breakthrough in science technology
“Not only does this complexity burden staff and slow trials, but it can also be a security issue such as when working with temporary consultants. With secure single sign-on, it’s easy to comprehensively remove all system access at the end of a contract or trial. This is a breakthrough in site technology.”
With one click, site teams can provide varying levels of secure access or completely lock out access to all commonly used systems in a trial. Advarra’s SSO capability also eliminates endless password juggling and swiveling back and forth between applications – even screens – to save time and free staff to focus on patient care.
“Reducing the number of clinical systems and logins used by sites is key to decreasing operational friction, but merely providing sites with a unified login for just one provider’s technology is insufficient,” explained Elisa Cascade, chief product officer at Advarra.
Clinical trial ecosystem
“SSO technology that enlists a site’s own credentials is the next big step in reaching our broader vision for a fully connected clinical trial ecosystem that prioritizes a streamlined user experience for operational efficiency, improved trial execution, and compliance.”
Advarra SSO capability is already available for Advarra site technology, and will be available within Advarra Longboat in early 2024.
OSP conducted an exclusive interview with Advarra’s senior vice president, global operations reviews, while onsite at SCOPE. Watch this space to read what he has to say, particularly about patient retention.
