The False Economy Of Paper Diaries In Clinical Trials

By Rinah Yamamoto, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Clinical ink

No one likes being hit with hidden costs, whether it be from hotels, airlines, or home purchases. But at least in those cases, the hidden costs are eventually revealed. Even more pernicious are situations in which you never fully appreciate the extra cost of having chosen one option over another. Option A may appear to be more economical than option B, but only because the associated downstream costs are never systematically calculated and compared. The true costs are not so much hidden as simply not considered. This is the case with using hard-copy “paper” patient diaries in clinical trials rather than using an electronic solution to collect Clinical Outcome Assessments (eCOAs).