iSOFT recently hosted the eClinical Forum to discuss how existing and emerging healthcare environments impact on clinical trials, and the future role of eClinical trial technologies.
The eClinical Forum was formed in 2000 by Pharmaceutical industry representatives with a vision to create a non-commercial and informal environment in which to network with peers, share ideas and experiences, and to shape the future of the clinical research environment.
The meeting was held at iSOFT's headquarters and was opened by iSOFT chief executive Andrea Fiumicelli who explained that despite the enormous progresses made, much needed to be done to improve the delivery of healthcare, and in particular improve safety through better use of information systems.
The clinical trial process was a key focus of the session. Identifying eligible patients for clinical trials is a constant challenge, and 58 per cent of clinical trials fail to achieve their recruitment targets. Dr Joerg Kraenzlein, director of life science at iSOFT described a system which is being developed to help investigators and pharmaceuticals companies conduct clinical trials more easily. "We want to build a network for physicians to collaborate, foster the use of personalised medicine and the production of clinical trials helping to speed up the process," he explained.
In the iSOFT system under development, patient records are de-identified and medical terms extracted to create the AccelCDB (Clinical Database). The investigator can then use the AccelFind web base application to identify suitable patients for the trial by defining the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
"It just takes 5 to 10 seconds to screen 10,000 medical records, whereas with a manual process a physician has to work for weeks," Dr Kraenzlein said.
The forum agreed that there is an urgent need for an integrated solution for research activities to increase efficiency while maintaining a high level of quality. This will help shorten the clinical trial process and ultimately assist in bringing drugs to market in a more timely way.
Related news articles:
- iSOFT's Profile
About iSOFT a CSC company
Headquartered in Banbury, UK, iSOFT is one of the world's largest healthcare IT companies serving 13,000 healthcare providers in over 40 countries across five continents. Its software product portfolio is one of the most extensive available, covering every aspect of healthcare delivery and planning. These include interoperable e-health solutions that build on existing systems to maximize current investments.
iSOFT's business is driven by the collective talent, experience and commitment of over 3,000 specialists in 19 countries. Through a global network of subsidiaries and extensive partner network, iSOFT also has substantial experience of national healthcare sectors and expert knowledge of local market needs.
iSOFT is a CSC Company.