eCOA/ePRO: Why Patients Deserve Even More Progress

If you’re like me and you’ve been working in the clinical trials industry for a long time, you know we’ve come a long way from the days of fully paper-based studies. The shift from reporting on paper to reporting electronically has been happening for years, however, the transition hasn’t always been elegant (cue the days of Palm Pilots and tele-cradles).

More recently, the pandemic has played a role in accelerating the shift to eCOA/ePRO. Today, 68% of studies that collect patient-reported outcomes are using electronic solutions. That percentage is expected to reach 84% over the next two years.[1]

Yet despite this progress, many of the tools used for eCOA/ePRO are stuck in the past. They’re more like digitized paperwork than engaging digital experiences. Fortunately, I see two forces converging to radically transform the tools the industry relies on.