Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePRO) Data Capture Contingency Planning: Web Platforms vs. Paper Back-Up

By Celeste A. Elash, Director, eCOA Science, YPrime

Electronic data capture is fast becoming the gold standard of patient-reported outcome (PRO) data collection, but it still presents challenges. Ensuring data integrity during clinical trials requires contingency planning for a viable backup data collection strategy to use in the rare event that data recording can’t be completed with the primary electronic mode of data collection.

Successful clinical trials rely on data collection systems that minimize error by mitigating risk. Doing this enables the collection of PRO data that are reliable, valid, and more likely to characterize treatment effects. Consequently, electronic data capture is fast becoming the gold standard for PRO data collection in clinical trials.

Simply stated, capturing clinical trial data electronically assures higher quality and more accurate data while also improving patient compliance. For those reasons, among others, regulators encourage ePRO, particularly over paper-based data collection.