If you’re a clinical researcher utilizing an enterprise CTMS (such as Forte’s OnCore Enterprise Research System), there’s a good chance your organization is benefitting from system integrations. Perhaps your CTMS is integrated with an EMR system to centralize billing and increase patient safety. Or maybe your institution has implemented CTMS interfaces with your IRB system, financial software, HR systems or a wide array of other solutions. While these integrations can vary in scope and purpose, they typically focus on improvements in a few key areas: staff workflows, data quality and patient centricity.
For institutions who have already implemented an electronic regulatory binder system such as Forte eReg, CTMS integration can introduce new benefits, in addition to those realized through the system. Both regulatory and clinical staff can see valuable improvements to their daily workflows.
Reduce duplicate data entry for your staff
As protocols grow more complex and research staff are asked to take on more and more tasks, it’s imperative to find new ways to maximize operational processes. In many cases, your teams are entering data into both a CTMS and eRegulatory system. In addition to the extra time needed for staff to manage the duplicate data entry, this process makes system workflows more complex, increasing the learning curve for users while providing little in return. A CTMS-eRegulatory integration significantly reduces redundant processes, allowing staff to focus more time on research and less on low-value administrative tasks.
Improve the quality of your data
With duplicate data entry processes come increased chance for errors and inconsistencies. These errors require additional staff time to rectify, or worse, result in regulatory compliance issues. By utilizing the CTMS as a source system, eRegulatory users will see protocol and staff data pre populated within the system. Advanced integrations can limit the user’s ability to edit these fields within the eRegulatory system, further ensuring quality data and minimizing opportunities for the CTMS and eRegulatory systems to become out of sync throughout the protocol lifecycle.
Boost inter- and intra-institutional collaboration
As clinical research and the systems that support it have evolved over the years, it has become clear that technology will be a significant driver of progress moving forward. Collaboration within your institution and across institutions is a key focus of the NIH, and standardized, integrated systems can provide a foundation for these shared innovations. CTMS and eRegulatory system integration within an institution is an early step toward the eventual goal of sharing data and insights across many research organizations in order to more quickly bring treatments to the public.
