“ DataFax levels the playing field for our small company in competing with the 'big companies'. Long gone are the days of the slow and labor-intensive process of physically retrieving hard copy case report forms from investigative sites, and thumbing through them for data entry and clean-up. ”

Why use EDC?

Modern technology, telecommunications and the internet have opened possibilities that never existed before. Wisely deployed they could revolutionize clinical research. Some of the benefits include:

  • Smarter than Paper

    A paper form can't tell you that you have entered an illegal value, or a value that is inconsistent with a value you entered on another form last week. A good EDC system checks data fields as they are entered and provides the user with clear instructions when a problem is detected.

  • Faster than Fax

    Even the best ICR/OCR software makes mistakes and investigators may make corrections or write comments in the margins of a CRF page, thus every page received by fax must be reviewed to compare the data record created by the ICR/OCR software with the fax image of the same page. This takes manpower and time at the study coordinating center, whereas data entered into an EDC system is available immediately.

  • Fewer Queries

    Queries are an aggravation for both the study coordinating center that creates them, and the clinical sites that respond to them. If an EDC system does a good job of identifying problems, investigators can correct or explain them immediately, resulting in fewer queries. And a well designed EDC system will make is easy for investigators to find and respond to any queries that are created.

  • Cheaper than Fax

    Well maybe - but only if you don't have to pay to have internet connections installed or upgraded at the clinical sites, don't have to provide them with PCs or technical support, and don't have to pay them extra to do data entry. That's a lot of ifs - you'll need a EDC system the sites actually want to use.

  • Technology Amazes Me

    EDC systems have the potential to increase site commitment to a research project by providing them with immediate feedback, resulting in an increased sense of pride and accomplishment. Other feedback in the form of patient summaries, study progress reports, announcements, and updates on topics of interest, could all contribute to a higher level of personal engagement and satisfaction with the research project.