Beginner's Guide To Clinical Trial Management Systems

By Ryan Monte, Director of Marketing

The days of using spreadsheets to painstakingly track patient enrollment and visits, financial metrics, regulatory documents, and other aspects of a clinical trial are thankfully over for most sites. From the largest research centers to the smallest, sites now recognize that a clinical trial management system (CTMS) can be configured to their needs and can bring powerful efficiencies insights, and compliance to their day-to-day operations.

What is a CTMS?

While other products exist to assist with specific trial activities like data capture, a CTMS centralizes and streamlines the way a trial is conducted, providing an end-to-end solution for managing all aspects of a clinical trial. A CTMS can assist with:

• Managing protocols and tracking/reporting any amendments or deviations
• Communicating with patients to remind them of upcoming visits or procedures
• Managing staff scheduling so that effort is aligned with needs, and downtime/overbookings are minimized
• Promote staff training and compliance with study protocols
• Evaluating financial needs, tracking payments to vendors and participants, and providing billing summaries that identify which costs are routine and which are part of research operations
• Tracking and analyzing patient outreach methods
• Streamlining recruitment tasks and providing real-time updates on participant enrollment
• Managing the supply chain for biospecimens, devices, or other products that will be used in the course of the trial
• Supporting regulatory compliance