Site Perspectives On BYOD ePRO Use

By Katie Garner, Therapeutic Area Advisor, Signant Health UK

To enhance study participation convenience, more sponsors are adopting a Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) study model, allowing participants to use their personal devices for submitting assessments. This eliminates the burden of unfamiliar provisioned devices and the need to charge and carry a second device. BYOD for collecting patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data not only improves convenience but also boosts compliance, as participants are more likely to see study-related reminders on their own smartphones or tablets.

Signant Health conducted a qualitative study to investigate the attitudes and experiences of site personnel involved in two global studies using BYOD for PRO data collection. An interview script was developed and tested before recruiting and consenting site staff. Interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed, with findings categorized into themes. Feedback was gathered from twelve site staff members involved in a seven-month vaccine study or a three-month rheumatoid arthritis study, located in the US, Sweden, or Poland. Ten interviews were conducted via telephone or video, while two were completed on paper.

The study's findings were applied to continuously improve product capabilities, training, and trial best practices, ensuring the BYOD model meets the needs of both participants and site personnel and enhances the overall efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trials.