Improving the Patient-Clinician Interface of Clinical Trials through Health Informatics Technologies.

Abstract

The current state of clinical trials underscores a need for timely interventions to reduce the cost and length of the average trial. Newly developed health informatics technologies-including electronic health records, telemedicine systems, and mobile health applications-have recently been employed in a wide range of clinical trials in an effort to improve different aspects of the clinical trial process. The current review will focus on the observed benefits and drawbacks of using such technology to improve various patient-centered aspects of the clinical trial process, namely its potential to improve patient recruitment, patient retention, and data collection. Broad future challenges and opportunities in the field as a whole will also be covered.