By Clinical Research News Staff

April 7, 2020 | Clinical trial management systems are a highly fragmented market. When Clinical Research News surveyed our readers last year, we found a wide range of CTMS’s in use and a long wish list when it comes to the platform.

Our survey-takers were varied themselves, representing pharma, biotech, CROs, academic researchers, and researchers in hospitals and physician’s offices. Most were in clinical operations, research, or working as study or data managers.

BioClinica’s CTMS was the only product serving 15% or more of users, though many other solutions were represented including MasterControl CQMS, Oncore, IMPACT, Clinical Research IO and more. Most respondents chose their systems based on price and that it fit the needs of their organization. A third made the choice because of technical support provided.

Yet nearly half of respondents complained that their current CTMS has limited functionality and almost a third reported that their CTMS couldn’t deliver needed reports. A similar number felt their system was outdated, and many respondents felt they needed more training.

When it came to wish lists, our survey-takers wanted much. For every feature we listed, over half of the respondents ranked it “most” or “very useful” including budget and finance, study team management, protocol management, tracking study-related supplies and resources, subject management, and external reporting. Interestingly, only tracking study-related supplies and resources got a significant percentage of the “not applicable” vote; 9% of respondents considered that functionality not applicable for their CTMS use.

Training for staff and real-time feedback were the top features requested. Half of the respondents requested training, and between 40% and 49% requested project management tools, real-time revenue tracking, real-time benchmark tracking, and real-time reports and dashboards.

In all, the survey reveals a landscape of high demand with disappointing returns. Users want their clinical trial management systems to deliver real-time insights while prioritizing ease of use. They want simplified workflows and actionable data. And they want enough training and support to feel confident in the platform.

For more information, see the survey here.