Patients taking part in clinical trials need clear and simple information – this is what 70% of 1,133 survey participants told us during our clinical study patients survey. Moreover, it is well known that providing both clear information and helpful technology to clinical trial participants is key. This supports patients throughout a clinical trial, helping them to feel more involved, as well as providing clear evidence of the value of the data they generously give, reminding them of the importance of compliance to trial procedures, and reducing the study burden.
But how can clinical trial patients be given the information they need? How can they be sure to have access to relevant information easily in times of clinical trial digitalization and decentralization? At Kayentis, we have embedded a simple and efficient media player in our eCOA solution – the Kayentis Media Player (KMP) – that allows relevant information to be provided regularly through very user-friendly technology.
Why use our Kayentis Media Player?
The KMP is a very easy-to-use app that can display documents and resources for immediate use by patients. Using the KMP makes a lot of sense in various circumstances.
- Completing eDiaries and ePROs from home requires patients to be familiar with the eCOA solution, and the KMP is the obvious repository for eCOA solution user guides and training material. Study patients can access this material in their own time and come back to it whenever they like.
- Also, as protocols may encompass decentralization components such as televisits or blood sampling at a local lab, the requirement for a patient’s physical presence at the study site may be less frequent. This might trigger the need for patients to refer to the study protocol or disease related information until the next site visit or phone call with site staff.
Kayentis Media Player, a startlingly simple and user-friendly feature
The KMP app has the advantage of being very simple to use:
- Easy access from the main screen of the eCOA app: The app is systematically available on the main screen of the provisioned devices (smartphones, tablets) and is embedded in the Clin’form app in the Kayentis BYOD solution for patients offered the opportunity to use their own smartphone for eDiary and questionnaire completion.
- Picto driven navigation: pictograms alone drive users intuitively towards documents that have been created for them. Everything is visual, which not only makes it easy for patients to use but also completely removes the need for translation and the associated risk of extending the study implementation time. Only the content itself must be available in the patient’s language and needs to be submitted to for IRB approval, as for all study patient documentation in a clinical trial.
- Targeted content for patients: A patient will only access the documents that are available at their own site, in a limited number of languages, which makes the search easy and quick. Moreover, videos can be uploaded either in the patient’s language or with embedded subtitle files, according to the sponsor’s preferences.
- All formats accessible: PDF files as well as MP4 video files can be uploaded, multiplying the information sources and formats that can be shared with patients. Not only can documentation on the patient population-specific disease, on the study protocol, or general information on clinical trials be made available for reading, but videos reminding the patient of the importance of compliance, their clinical trial duties, and the key role patients play in supporting clinical research can be very useful. This will help to remind the study patients why the study is being conducted and why their participation is important, as well as supporting them to stay in the study and promoting compliance.
Kayentis Media Player anywhere, anytime, for any study
Another value of the KMP sits in the fact that it can be used in a wide range of circumstances.
- Offline or online use: Although initial downloading of the material must happen online, patients can subsequently consult downloaded material offline anytime. In this way, all documents are viewable instantly without any internet connection/access. This simplifies the ease-of-use and avoids any additional connectivity cost for the sponsor. Offline or Online mode is clearly indicated to users on the screen.
- Available and optimized on every type of device (smartphone, tablet or computer): Documents are made available in an easy-to-read and appropriate format:
- – PDFs will automatically appear in portrait mode, as for standard ebooks
- – Videos will automatically appear in landscape mode, for more comfortable viewing
- – Zooming is possible
- – Scrolling can be used through a bar on the right of the screen
- Always up-to-date: New documents can be pushed to the KMP at any study timepoint. Depending on the disease, the protocol or study stage, any newly created material can be uploaded into the system. Documents will aggregate in alphabetical order, creating a simple e-library for the comfort of the patient. This also helps the clinical team: if a document requires more time for IRB approval, it can be added when approved without preventing uploading of other documents in the meantime.
Patients would probably be more inclined to join and complete clinical trials if they are sufficiently and clearly informed. Only an informed patient can be one who properly understands the reasons for conducting clinical research, the value of the data collected, and the importance of compliance. Sharing simple and appropriate information is now seen as contributing to a clinical trial’s success, and the clinical trials industry must create simple and appropriate tools to convey this information.
