Five Frequently Asked Questions (And Answers) About eConsent During The COVID-19 Crisis

By Eric Delente, Senior Director, General Manager, e-Consent

For the clinical research industry, COVID-19 poses immediate and longer-term challenges. For ongoing studies, sponsors and sites are looking for ways to modify protocols and keep patients engaged, especially as face-to-face interactions are being limited and access to facilities is discouraged. For the numerous COVID-19 trials that have been or will be started up on an urgent basis, sponsors and sites are seeking to apply digital technologies in new and faster ways.

All of us who have chosen to devote our careers to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries feel the weight of our responsibility to do all we can to hasten the end of this global pandemic in order to save lives and ensure healthcare continues to work the way we need it to. One of the ways we can do that is by enabling the continuation of clinical trials and the connection of patients with providers, investigators and opportunities, even as distancing remains in place.

Sharing experiences is vital to our industry, now more than ever. For the past month, my team has been responding to myriad questions regarding the potential application of electronic consent technology to both ongoing and new COVID-19 trials, and I want to share the ones most frequently asked about IQVIA eConsent, along with our responses, since it may be of value to your organization at this time.