The COVID-19 pandemic increased the push for novel clinical trial designs to broaden participation and deliver real-world research findings sooner. A new report from NCATS offers ways to strengthen and expand one such design: decentralized clinical trials (DCTs).
Typically, trials are run in medical research centers and centralized locations. DCTs use technology and community partners to reach participants and run trials beyond traditional sites. DCTs could make clinical trials more efficient, effective and equitable. That could bring more treatments to all people more quickly. NCATS-funded Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program institutions have long-standing expertise in DCTs. They have used the DCT model in such clinical trials as the ACTIV-6 trial, which has tested evidence-based outpatient treatment options for COVID-19.
“To address critical areas in the advancement of DCTs, we first need to find out what’s being done, what’s working well, and what challenges and needs exist in the development, deployment and dissemination of DCTs,” said Christopher Hartshorn, Ph.D., chief of the Digital and Mobile Technologies Section in NCATS’ Division of Clinical Innovation…
View the report here.
Read the full article here.
