CLINICAL RESEARCH: THE ERA OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Mr. Schultz opens his refrigerator door to check how much milk he has. He sees that he needs to get more. A man of habit, he typically goes out for a daily walk, so he figures he can get some along the way. He also realizes, however, that it’s a bit later than usual and that the sky is starting to cloud over. Before leaving, he picks up his umbrella and hat. And he intends, upon returning home, to call his grandchildren, as he normally does every week.

At a steady pace, he leaves the house and sets out on his march. Although in his late seventies, he is still mentally alert and in reasonably good physical shape. But on this particular occasion, Mr. Schultz suddenly gets dizzy and his steps become clumsy. The world around him starts to become blurry and then suddenly goes pitch dark.

Meanwhile, three thousand kilometers away, a signal is received in a health outfit with more specific information from the accelerometer in Mr. Schultz’s watch, which detects a sudden and unusual change in his blood pressure and cardiac rhythm. In an instant, all the data related to Mr. Schultz’s critical situation is processed and recorded. It is determined with certainty that Mr. Schultz has had a stroke and has passed out.

Immediate alerts are sent to the local ER and an ambulance is dispatched to Mr. Schultz’s location, according to the GPS in his watch. His neurologist immediately receives a notification via SMS, while his three sons are simultaneously contacted by phone. Mr. Schultz has been participating in a clinical trial related to strokes, so the affiliated clinical testing team involved is immediately notified. As exemplified in the story above, information and the way it is collected have been revolutionized. What used to be medical blind spots have now become infinitesimal bits of critical information. This new phenomenon is true of almost every aspect of investigational drugs, including their safety profiles and their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, to name just a couple.

This new phenomenon is what we call “digital transformation” and it is revolutionary in all aspects of every industry. Health and clinical research are no exception.

As part of a new race among enterprises, we are starting to see dramatic changes at the core of clinical research activity through digital transformation. These have major implications, requiring people to have the related skills necessary for bravely competing in this new world. Traditional clinical research activities and knowledge alone will no longer be enough. A synthesis between computer science, data analysis, wearable devices, real-time information, statistics, and new algorithms are now required, along with other skills sets, ranging from information technology management to bioengineering.

In the era of digital transformation, our jobs as well as our lives will be changed by this revolution. Thanks to all this, Mr. Shultz and many others like him will get a second chance to speak with their grandchildren and enjoy their regular afternoon walks.

Dante Alducin

He has 12 years of experience in the field of clinical research specialized in oncology, currently he is dedicated to promoting studies registration on demand through social networks.