The prevalence of decentralised clinical trials and the importance of patient-centricity in medical practices are just two of many factors leading to the increased use of electronic Clinical Outcome Assessments (eCOAs). Digital devices like smartphones, tablets, wearables and web-based platforms are increasingly being used to measure the impact of a disease and/or treatment on patients’ quality of life and are an important way we can capture the patient’s voice in a clinical trial.
The eCOA system consists of the devices used for data collection, specialised eCOA software installed in these devices for collecting the data or access to web-based eCOA platforms and a centralised database or server to store, manage and analyse the data securely. This article explains how an optimised eCOA implementation strategy can minimise several risks and challenges associated with clinical trials.