The Santa Cruz Sentinel describes new ways to collect data in an ongoing clinical study:
Engineers here who helped build the PalmPilot have turned their skills toward a new venture in recent years – blending the technology of handheld electronic devices with the needs of companies conducting patient studies.
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A bicoastal company with roots in Pittsburgh as well as Scotts Valley, invivodata inc., has managed to capture a strong following in a small but growing market among pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
It is one of a handful of young companies in the market of handheld, wireless patient diaries.
The company’s eDiary PRO prompts patients in studies to answer questions about their real-time experience with a new drug or product, shifting the burden of reporting away from written diaries. The information is necessary for federal approval of new drugs or medical devices.
… eDiary, which provides patients with easy-to-follow prompts, built-in reminders and polite electronic nagging to ensure patients comply in a timely fashion. The device automatically sends responses to a central reporting system. Patients’ failure to respond to electronic prompts can trigger a personal telephone call to encourage compliance.
invivodata inc. believes that its system “reduces study risk and increases study sensitivity, delivering significant clinical and financial benefits.” The company even offers a written patient compliance guarantee.
Oh, dear. For some of the more old-fashioned ones (like myself), the 100% patient compliance is just an illusion…