Clinaero: Building a Better Patient Pool
Conducting more efficient and effective clinical trials with Motion tablet PCs
The Background:
Clinical research trials in healthcare are the necessary means to a vital end – cures and treatments to combat debilitating and deadly diseases. To be successful, the trial should include a solid group of informed and consenting patients, along with detailed, accurate, and secure data.
Bellevue, Wash.-based Clinaero provides technology solutions and support for clinical trials designed to ensure effective patient recruitment and reliable study documentation. Clinaero works with hundreds of research facilities, among them The Cooper Institute in Dallas, to offer technical support in patient recruitment and study monitoring.
The Challenge:
Clinaero previously used a customized touch-screen data collection system. Over time, these wall-mounted units proved to be ineffective and fraught with hardware failures. Sixty percent of all the units Clinaero owned had failed. Clinaero was spending approximately $2,000 every month on shipping and return costs, as well as sending personnel to clinical sites to repair the units.
It was apparent Clinaero needed to find more stable and cost-effective computers. The computers needed to be easy to operate and intuitive for participants, highly mobile, and reliable for trial facilitators. Clinaero executives had observed Motion tablet PCs in use in clinical settings, so the company began an evaluation of tablet PCs as a more reliable way to efficiently collect patient data.
The Solution:
Clinaero conducted an extensive review of tablet PCs from four different providers. With the wear and tear inflicted on the device throughout the trial, Clinaero’s IT staff was out to find the most durable tablet on the market. In the company’s drop tests, Motion’s M1400 tablet PC proved the most durable. The scratch-resistant display and warranty ensured Clinaero the Motion tablets could withstand the rigors of near-constant handling and travel.
Clinaero executives said they also liked the ultra-mobile design and ergonomics of the Motion tablet PC. The three-pound tablet PC would be easy to pass from patient to clinician and for the clinician to carry from one exam to the next. Similarly, the tablet’s long battery life meant freedom to get things done on the go without having to stop and recharge. The handwriting recognition capabilities of Motion’s tablet PC meant that patient forms could be filled out on the screen and transmitted to a server wirelessly, moving the clinics toward a much-desired paperless system. Additionally, Motion’s 12.1-inch View Anywhere® screen facilitated better collaboration and instruction across many lighting conditions. The wide viewing angle of the display made it possible for patients to view multimedia presentations on the screen and easier for clinicians to review charts, forms, and graphics with the patient.
The Results:
After a thorough evaluation, Clinaero acquired 150 Motion tablet PCs in January 2004. Using the tablet PC, potential clinical trial participants begin the evaluation process by filling out Clinaero forms and going through a prescreening survey. They watch an interactive presentation and fill out and sign consent forms all on the tablet. This information is filed electronically, ensuring that patient consent is securely stored. Clinicians take it from there, using the tablet PC to record vital signs, patient health history, and physical test results. It is a tablet-enabled process from start to finish.
Clinaero reports zero operational errors since migrating to the tablet platform, resulting in a $2,000 per-month savings in repair and shipping cost. More importantly has been the confidence that the tablet’s reliability has given users. They now know that their data will not be lost and the study will not be interrupted by technology breakdowns.
A Clinaero Customer Example:
The Cooper Institute, a Clinaero customer, has been using Motion tablets in its clinical exercise studies to measure the impact of exercise on individuals of a certain demographic with cardiovascular disease risk factors. For these studies, participants exercise in a training laboratory on various pieces of fitness equipment. Every participant for each study required a separate paper chart on a clip board, where the study monitor would document various statistics. With all of this paperwork, technicians were limited in the number of participants they could monitor effectively at one time. This paper-based system also required part-time employees to scan and archive the data into an electronic database for analysis, a process that could take weeks. In a clinical trial, timeliness is of the utmost importance. In the case of Cooper, information is key to understanding the impacts of an exercise program and making adjustments accordingly.
Cooper tried creating electronic data forms and running them on laptops. This lessened data entry error and paper shuffle, and also increased the timeliness of data collected. However, Cooper technicians’ productivity was constrained by the size of the laptop device and its need to be near an electrical outlet for quick powering. Because of these limitations, three to four exercise technicians were required for monitoring up to eight participants at one time.
Motion tablets have completely changed the way The Cooper Institute conducts its clinical exercise studies. The lightweight, pure-slate design and long battery life give technicians greater mobility to monitor participants, and decreases the number of technicians working in the exercise training laboratory. Instead of four technicians overseeing a study, only two are required in most cases. This also eliminates the need for part-time employees to scan and save paper charts. Cooper’s total cost savings in salary alone is estimated at $75,000 annually. In addition, data is input in ‘real time’ and with electronic checks and balances in place to ensure against entry errors, there is less need for human supervision and no limit on the amount of data input. All of these factors make for a more accurate and efficiently run study.
