iPad Clinical Trials and Applications
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from January 6-9, 2011, 80-100 new tablet computers were on display. Industry analysts estimate that 50 million e-books and tablets will be sold in 2011. It’s hard not to believe that these devices, such as the iPad, are going to impact how we perform clinical trials.
Health professionals have embraced the iPad. It’s ease of use, portability and potential for a range of uses from data entry, to the viewing of medical images and access to online reference databases will definitely impact clinical trial performance. I wrote in a previous blog post about the FRAX iPhone app and its use to calculate fracture risk.
iPad Clinical Applications for Clinical Trials
Over time, I predict the iPad or an equivalent table computer will become the primary investigator interface for clinical trials. My expectation is that we will see case report form data entry on it, as well as access to study resources, the ordering of supplies and even the signing of patient informed consents.
What makes the iPad so versatile in clinical trials and in the expanding mobile health market is its easy ability to integrate with hospital IT infrastructure. It is HIPAA compliant if no data is stored on the device, but instead a secure data connection is made to a hospital or medical practice’s network.
The iPad is so intuitive to use, I also expect we will see iPads being given to patients for clinical trial journal entries. What’s more, by using devices with 3G wireless capabilities, I foresee that clinical trial coordinators will be able to interact in real-time with patients, remind them of trial visits and monitor medication compliance.
On the medical imaging side, I don’t expect that iPads will be used to review images; they simply don’t have the resolution. What they will do is allow the easy sharing of images between the central review laboratory, investigators and trial coordinators. This will make it easier to monitor patient inclusion, study progress and report imaging review results.
Is this iPad development an evolution or revolution? Will this impact clinical trials? Ultimately I think it will in a significant way. I would be interested to hear if anyone has experience with the iPad in a healthcare setting.