While some researchers have established methods when it comes to data collection, others are still struggling, making it necessary for them to make changes so they can get reliable results. As such, data collection isn’t complicated because of the research team but the method being used. Also, some clinical trials become successful because they are conducted by experienced Veristat teams that have the support of their quality assurance members. Even then, it’s worth noting that data collection takes the most time in clinical research. Therefore, any missing data leads to queries that teams have to address first before finalizing their trials. To help you improve your data collection process in clinical trials, here are some proven methods you could consider adopting.

Use worksheets provided for the study

Your data collection team should not do the task haphazardly as it won’t give you the expected results. Therefore, research teams should use the provided worksheets, especially in virtual clinical trials, to avoid missing the required data. Unfortunately, some organizations don’t accept worksheets, making the team feed the data more than once to online patient records. Therefore, If possible, try to come up with standardized methods to avoid duplication of data.

Using Radiology Worksheets

Some studies usually require a radiology assessment in dealing with inconsistent data. It is essential to have radiology worksheets that capture all the needed information. This way, it’ll be easier for the radiology team to process the data at each phase. The only challenge of this method is that the clinical trial team has to provide the assessment radiologist with an updated worksheet for each patient. And this has to be done before the assessment to avoid confusion.

Have patients’ questionnaires

It is essential to have the patient fill questionnaires. They can fill in their medical history, related medications, adverse events, and other underlying factors to help you get the correct data for their treatment. This process is essential in getting the patients critical information, which is regularly missed during data collection. Unfortunately, this process also has some limitations.  Due to patients’ health conditions, some patients cannot effectively fill these forms and might require assistance, which might not give accurate data. However, the process is still doable in most healthcare centers as many patients can effectively fill their data, thus aid in its collection.

Have some Checklists

Your quality assurance team can provide checklists that teams can use to collect the data effectively. They will have a detailed checklist of what is required for data collection. This makes it easier for the data collection team to check what’s required and provide the team with easy-to-process data.  The checklist acts as a guide, and data is documented in source notes, making it impossible to duplicate.

The challenge with this method is that each team member has to review the required protocols and develop a ready checklist that should be accurate to avoid confusion when collecting the clinical trial data.

The clinical trial team has to be proactive and use the best methods that will be effective and easier for them to collect data. While developing a data collection checklist and worksheets might take time, it helps develop valuable data for trials.