Strategic Planning with ePROs

As the industry moves toward paperless clinical trials, patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures are also migrating toward electronic options. Although ‘paperand- pencil’ modes of administration will continue to prevail in the short-term, the medium- and long-term outlook for electronic methods to capture PROs (ePROs) looks promising, particularly with the advancement of new, user-friendly technology and the development of questionnaires designed with the ePRO platform in mind.

With the burgeoning number of e-options – from web-based and interactive voice response (IVR) systems to handheld devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) – it will become increasingly important for decision-makers within pharmaceutical companies to make the best strategic decisions about whether, when and how to use various technologies. Identifying the best platform for ePROs must take into consideration a variety of factors, including the type and nature of the outcome, the patient population, trial design, regulatory requirements and the drug development programme overall. Frequently, the best solution is not a single platform, but a combination of data collection methods.