By eCliniqua Staff   

September 7, 2012 | PHT Corporation has released NetPRO 1.3, the latest version of its web-based system for collecting patient and clinician data for clinical trials and post-marketing studies.   

PHT is arguably the only dedicated provider of PRO (patient reported outcome) and ePRO (electronic patient reported outcome) systems used to collect patient driven data in clinical research.  

The new NetPRO product is, according to PHT, an economical method for collecting patient reported outcome data or post-marketing safety data from large populations, and may be used to submit PRO data to support a labeling claim. It is compatible with patient populations worldwide for regularly scheduled or infrequent data collection periods. PHT also says it can handle any complexity of questionnaire.   

Sheila Rocchio, PHT’s VP Marketing and Product Management, tells eCliniqua that NetPRO 1.3 offers two new features that solve patient recruitment and data analysis issues. The new release now supports Arabic and Hebrew, with each language’s unique alphabet and right-to-left screen display. This means that clinical researchers can add new geographic populations to their studies, as long as those patients have access to the Internet. (NetPRO supports some 30 languages, including Japanese and Russian.)  

In addition to supporting right-to-left readers, NetPRO 1.3 adds a localization and time zone feature that enables patients themselves to use a map or drop-down menu to set their local time zones.   

So what sets NetPRO apart from the many other patient recruitment tools on the market?  

Rocchio says: “Clinical professionals are expressing a growing interest in using the Internet to collect patient data for large clinical studies and post-market studies. NetPRO is the only proven web browser-based patient data collection system available.”    

The tool gives clinical researchers access to large global patient populations while reducing the costs of Phase IV and extended post-market studies, Rocchio says. Researchers are using NetPRO to support regulatory submissions and label claims, as well as post-approval safety, observational and registry studies.  

“With NetPRO, clinical study patients can use any Internet-enabled device to securely access and complete daily questionnaires. NetPRO sends patient data to StudyWorks, which is PHT’s back-end system and Web portal—for data review, management and analysis by trial stakeholders,” says Rocchio.   

As for who is using the solution, Rocchio sidestepped the question, on the grounds that PHT’s customers prefer to remain anonymous because they view NetPRO as a competitive advantage. However, she did say that the system has been used successfully in areas including oncology, diabetes, and allergy.  

Like other PHT modalities, NetPRO data is immediately viewable by sites, CROs, and sponsors through PHT’s StudyWorks on-line reporting portal, which provides real-time access to patient data collected by PHT’s LogPad System, SitePad Tablet, or NetPRO. The product also adds new security measures, and right-to-left language support.