Relieve your CRAs of the Site Training Burden

CRAs are tasked with an ever-increasing number of tasks and responsibilities to ensure that trials are running smoothly. One of the most time-consuming of these tasks is training study site personnel. While CRAs need to play an important role in ensuring sites are properly trained, they are often tasked to do so in costly and ineffective ways.  

Some sponsors have CRAs deliver training by flipping through decks with hundreds of slides, often borrowed from an investigator meeting. Not only is this a subpar way to train, but it’s a questionable use of highly skilled and expensive professionals such as CRAs.  

Note that CRAs are not hired based their training ability, but rather on their acumen and experience over a demanding array of technical matters related to clinical trials. As a result, some CRAs are innately good trainers, while others are not. Also, CRAs are no match for the subject matter experts who typically deliver training presentations at investigator meetings. 

A preferable approach is to provide sites with an online training platform with all relevant modules. The role of CRAs would be to direct site members to complete training modules prior to a site initiation visit or interim visit. 

Once at the site, the CRA should meet with investigators and site staff, and reinforce the most important learning objectives of the training modules. The CRA should also solicit any questions on the training material that site members may have, and confirm that site members understand the training content and are prepared to commence the study. This approach gives the CRAs an important role in training without bogging them down for hours of reviewing slide decks. It also improves overall quality and consistency of training for site members. 

The approach outlined above, combining a strong CRA role with online training modules, is a core best practice. It uses a fraction of the CRA’s valuable time, leverages the authority of subject matter experts, provides site members with more flexibility in when to spend several hours training, and gives the CRAs an important role in quality control and training reinforcement. It is superior to “flipping through slides” in every way. 

Reduce CRA burnout and optimize your study site training with TriPort Investigator Portal. For more information, contact us today.   

 

About MedPoint Digital, Inc. 

MedPoint Digital, Inc. partners with biopharma companies to deploy virtual pharmaceutical meetings and advanced portals that produce unique value. Our goals are to lower costs, improve quality and expedite timelines with digital platforms that transform key areas of clinical operations, commercial objectives, and study site tasks. 


Revolutionizing Drug Safety Report Distribution with TriPort Trial Portal: A Seamless Approach

In the fast-paced world of clinical trials, effective drug safety reporting is paramount.  However, navigating the complex landscape of safety reports has long been a tedious and overwhelming task, often burdening study teams and pharmacovigilance departments as well as principal investigators.  

MedPoint is pleased to announce the latest release of our Safety Reports distribution platform on TriPort which is poised to transform pharmacovigilance safety reporting into a seamless, efficient, and intelligent process. 

Safety Reports on TriPort is more than just another document platform—it's a transformative tool that redefines how drug safety reporting is approached. This innovative platform addresses the complexities of safety letter distribution and acknowledgment of these reports with an emphasis on simplicity, versatility, and security. 

The primary objective is to simplify this intricate process. With a user-centric approach, the platform empowers study teams, CRAs, and investigators to handle a wide array of safety report tasks swiftly and intuitively. No longer will these professionals be bogged down by convoluted procedures; TriPort streamlines the process, making it more accessible and manageable. 

By employing automated rule-based distribution, the platform complies with country-specific regulations and optimally matches the characteristics of individual safety reports. This eliminates unnecessary reporting burdens and ensures that the right information reaches the right stakeholders. 

Safety Reports on TriPort is designed with the flexibility to seamlessly accommodate distribution of safety reports to a single-study or across a multi-study development program. This approach affords investigators the efficiency of a one-time eSignature completion to acknowledge receipt of safety letters across all relevant studies. 

TriPort's standout feature is its versatility. The platform caters to a wide array of safety report tasks, including: 

  • Initial and Follow-up Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reactions (SUSARs) 
  • New Safety Findings 
  • Semi-Annual Safety Reports (SASR) 
  • Other Safety Reports (as required) 

Of course, TriPort isn't just about drug safety reporting; it's a comprehensive platform. With Single Sign-On functionality, users gain access to a centralized hub that offers training, study documents, FAQs, patient visit guides, searchable protocols, site engagement tools, and more—and now, an easy and compliant way to distribute safety reports. 

Safety Reports on TriPort is a breakthrough in drug safety reporting technology. Its seamless approach simplifies processes, enhances collaboration, and provides meaningful insights, all while adhering to regulatory standards. As the pharmaceutical industry continues to evolve digitally, platforms like TriPort play a pivotal role in ensuring patient safety and efficient operations.  

Embrace the future of drug safety report distribution with Safety Reports on TriPort and experience a new era of streamlined, intelligent, and secure reporting workflows.  For more information, contact us today 

About MedPoint Digital, Inc.

MedPoint Digital, Inc. partners with biopharma companies to deploy virtual pharmaceutical meetings and advanced portals that produce unique value. Our goals are to lower costs, improve quality and expedite timelines with digital platforms that transform key areas of clinical operations, commercial objectives, and study site tasks.


Decentralized Clinical Trials and Virtual Pharmaceutical Meetings

The pharmaceutical industry is continuing to evaluate and evolve the strategies and tools utilized to conduct Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT). These strategies have understandably focused primarily on tools to connect patients to study sites; however, an often overlooked DCT tactic involves leveraging pharmaceutical virtual meeting technology to effectively connect CRAs and sites with virtual monitoring visits.

 

Why should DCT be pursued?

The COVID-driven boom in Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT) leveled off in 2023, as initial experiences are being assessed across the pharmaceutical industry. As we review DCT post-COVID, perhaps the first issue to re-visit is; why should DCT be pursued. Merits of DCT include patient-centricity and sustainability, as well as introducing new ways to collect patient health data. However, the most compelling merit of DCT is the potential to expand the population of patients who can participate. After all, patient recruitment remains the most important and elusive challenge in clinical trials. This is especially true if one defines DCT as “enabling patients to participate without traveling to the study site as often.” The simple math is that, if the distance of potential patients from the study site is doubled, the geographic area is quadrupled, as in Patient Area = Distance2. Hence, if the distance increases by three, then the geographic area increases by nine, etc.

However, geographic coverage can be expanded simply by increasing the number of study sites. So why DCT? Because adding study sites is very expensive. Each site requires contracting, start-up, ethical review, staffing, training, monitoring, supplies, shipping, eClinical systems, etc. If a study can be performed by 20 sites instead of 80, savings for the overall study budget can be 15% to 20% or more. Given the continuing spiral of costs of clinical trials, cost savings of this magnitude trump all other considerations.

 

Concerns with DCT

In theory, DCT can be a cost game-changer, but questions remain. Are patients ready to participate virtually, without meeting regularly with investigators? And likewise, are investigators ready? Are there new risks or compromises stemming from DCT? Are patients less invested and more likely to discontinue over a multi-year trial? These concerns and others are legitimate issues of DCT that drug developers must explore.

Perhaps the key question is, does DCT really lower costs? Most DCT tactics involve additional technologies and services, adding yet more complexity to trials. The increased costs of these DCT elements must be offset by enough additional patients per site, resulting in sufficiently fewer sites, to generate overall cost savings. If not, DCT will fail to deliver on its cost-saving promise, undermining its core rationale.

 

Rational Assessment

Today the majority of pharmaceutical developers are selectively using elements of DCT in hybrid trials, as opposed to going all-in on 100% virtual trials. This allows trial sponsors to assess the practicality and performance of individual DCT tactics. It’s an exciting period, and time will tell which tactics demonstrate value.

An overlooked area of opportunity in DCT is virtual site monitoring visits. At MedPoint Digital, we refer to this as “virtual monitoring” because the emphasis is on live virtual visits by CRAs with study sites. This differs from “remote monitoring” which usually refers to 24/7 analysis of data flowing from the site to the monitor. MedPoint Digital pioneered live virtual meetings for the pharma industry and today we deploy an advanced platform that outperforms standard Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Our virtual monitoring platform, InSite Virtual®, features enhanced collaboration tools such as forms, checklists, eSignatures, document mark-up, etc., as well as validated data capture and automated site visit reports. This superior platform for live virtual pharmaceutical meetings is specifically configured to support CRA site visits and offers major advantages in cost savings, quality, and productivity.

 

DCT has turned the corner from a COVID-inspired boom to a phase of rational assessment and sensible deployment. Virtual pharmaceutical meetings, whether for patients, CRAs, or others, have tremendous potential for DCT, but only if they deliver productive, personal experiences that preserve trial quality and data integrity.

 

To learn more about MedPoint Digital’s virtual meeting platform, Elevation, or our virtual site monitoring platform, InSite Virtual, contact us today!

 

About MedPoint Digital, Inc.

MedPoint Digital, Inc. partners with biopharma companies to deploy virtual pharmaceutical meetings and advanced portals that produce unique value. Our goals are to lower costs, improve quality and expedite timelines with digital platforms that transform key areas of clinical operations, commercial objectives, and study site tasks.


The Necessity of a Virtual Attendance Option for Pharmaceutical Industry Meetings

The pharmaceutical industry continues to adapt to the evolving nature of virtual meetings and remote work that has skyrocketed over recent years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers were forced to rapidly adopt virtual meeting technology. However, with travel returning to pre-pandemic levels, pharmaceutical companies are now tasked with finding the optimal balance between travel-to meetings and virtual meetings.  

A number of important considerations can factor into these decisions including cost, audience size, meeting objectives, and the geographic location of attendees; however, perhaps the most commonly overlooked consideration is attendee preference. According to an Accenture survey of Healthcare Providers (HCPs), 38% prefer all meetings to be virtual while only 12% prefer in-person meetings only. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 46% prefer a mix of in-person and virtual. 

While it’s clear that HCPs have a preference for virtual and hybrid options, the industry has continued to slowly migrate back to offering travel-to meetings. There are benefits to the in-person interactions that travel-to meetings can facilitate; however, the risk of eliminating key segments of your audience that are unable or unwilling to dedicate the time required to attend travel-to meetings is too significant to overlook. Hosting a critical Virtual Investigator Meeting, a high-profile Virtual Advisory Board, or a Virtual Speaker Training event without a subset of your most important Principal Investigators, KOL advisors, or speakers, decreases the value of your event and creates a myriad of ripple effects for your team. 

The simple solution that many organizations are deploying for this problem is to simply offer a generic virtual attendance option to invitees only after they have indicated that they cannot attend in person. These attendees are sent a last-minute Zoom or Teams link to view the in-person meeting remotely. They are rarely enabled to meaningfully participate in the discussion and this experience can often be more frustrating than rewarding for high profile HCPs. 

Pharmaceutical companies need to take a more strategic approach to this challenge. Knowing that a significant portion of your audience has a preference to attend virtually, all high-profile travel-to meetings for HCPs should include a virtual component from the beginning of the planning process. Teams should engage with an experienced virtual meeting provider that will ensure your virtual attendees have a seamless, engaging, and rewarding meeting experience.  

Please reach out to MedPoint Digital today to learn how our team of experienced, dedicated virtual meeting experts can elevate your next virtual pharmaceutical meeting.

 

About MedPoint Digital, Inc.

MedPoint Digital, Inc. partners with biopharma companies to deploy virtual pharmaceutical meetings and advanced portals that produce unique value. Our goals are to lower costs, improve quality and expedite timelines with digital platforms that transform key areas of clinical operations, commercial objectives, and study site tasks.


Four Tips to Engage Sites During Virtual Investigator Meetings

As clinical trials and training of sites become increasingly reliant on virtual technology, pharmaceutical sponsors need to understand the unique challenges and opportunities that come with conducting meetings online. By applying principles of adult learning, sponsors can ensure that virtual investigator meetings are effective and engaging for all participants.

 

1. Wealth of experience

First, it is essential to recognize that adult learners have a wealth of experience and knowledge that they can bring to the virtual meeting space. Creating a collaborative environment that encourages participation from all members, investigators, sponsors, and vendors, can allow for collective expertise and foster a sense of community among the group.

2. Provide learners with a purpose and objective

Another key principle of adult learning is the importance of providing learners with a clear purpose and objective for the meeting. This can help focus the discussion and ensure that all participants work towards a common goal. In the context of clinical trials, this might involve setting specific data collection targets or outlining key protocol questions that need to be addressed during the meeting.

3. Relevant materials

Adult learners are also more engaged when the material presented is relevant and applicable to their work. In virtual investigator meetings, this can be achieved by providing real-world examples and case studies that demonstrate how the concepts being discussed can be applied in practice. This can help to make the material more meaningful and engaging for participants.

4. Different learning styles

Finally, it is important to recognize that adult learners have different learning styles and preferences. Some may prefer to learn through visual aids, while others may respond better to hands-on activities such as gamification or group discussions. By providing a variety of learning approaches and allowing participants to choose the methods that work best for them, investigators can ensure that virtual meetings are inclusive and accessible for all.

 

In conclusion, by applying principles of adult learning in virtual investigator meetings, clinical trial teams can create an engaging and effective learning environment that supports the success of their trials. By fostering collaboration, setting clear goals, making the material relevant, and providing diverse learning opportunities, investigators can ensure that virtual pharmaceutical meetings are a valuable tool for advancing the field of clinical research.

 

To learn more about MedPoint Digital’s virtual investigator meeting platform, Elevation, contact us today!

 

About MedPoint Digital, Inc.

MedPoint Digital, Inc. partners with biopharma companies to deploy virtual pharmaceutical meetings and advanced portals that produce unique value. Our goals are to lower costs, improve quality and expedite timelines with digital platforms that transform key areas of clinical operations, commercial objectives, and study site tasks.


Launching a Strategic Virtual Advisory Board Partnership with a Leading Medical Communications Agency

Situation:

In 2022, a large Medical Communications agency (MedComm A) approached MedPoint Digital (MedPoint) to assist in executing all virtual advisory board meetings across their agency.  MedComm A’s core competencies include scientific strategy, content development, market access, and meeting planning services; however, their account and project management teams were increasingly being tasked with planning and executing virtual advisory board meetings for their clients. While MedComm A had a team of capable project managers, they lacked the technological infrastructure and operational expertise to effectively produce a high volume of virtual advisory board meetings.

Solution:

MedPoint provided MedComm A with a full overview of technical capabilities and best practices in order to create specific work instructions for each end client based on organizational compliance policies and individual team preferences.  MedPoint then aligned dedicated project management teams with each agency account team and end client. This allowed MedComm A to have consistent staffing for all their clients and brands, creating a seamless planning experience and the ability to turn around virtual meeting requests in an expedited manner.

Having consistent communication and alignment between MedPoint and MedComm A teams allowed close working relationships that resulted in superior service and unified project support for each virtual advisory board meeting. Weekly planning calls across teams allowed for continuity throughout the planning process, operational efficiencies between organizations, and seamless, high quality virtual advisory board events.

Results:

With dedicated staffing teams, upfront planning, and constant communication, MedPoint was able to execute over 100 successful virtual advisory board meetings for MedComm A in less than a year using our virtual meeting platform, Elevation™. Not only were the virtual meetings executed to the highest standard, but large cost savings were generated based on the volume of meetings. With MedPoint taking ownership of all technical aspects of the virtual meeting planning process and execution, MedComm A was able to focus on their strategic and scientific core competencies and deliver better value for their clients.

Contact us to learn more about MedPoint Digital’s virtual meeting platform, Elevation, and all the services that come with it.

 

About MedPoint Digital, Inc.

MedPoint Digital, Inc. partners with biopharma companies to deploy virtual pharmaceutical meetings and advanced portals that produce unique value. Our goals are to lower costs, improve quality and expedite timelines with digital platforms that transform key areas of clinical operations, commercial objectives, and study site tasks.


Best Practices for Pre-Meeting Planning to Ensure High Attendance

One of the most important aspects of live virtual events is the planning and organizing that leads up to the actual program. Here are the top three tips we suggest when organizing your events to ensure attendance is at an all-time high.

1. Effective pre-meeting communications

Begin communication with your target audience as early as possible. Start with sending Save the Date communications six weeks prior to the event. We suggest using a customizable registration site with branding elements and messaging about your program to drive interest. Upon registration, users should receive an immediate, concise communication with attendance information as well as an automated calendar hold. Provide reminders to all registered attendees beginning 48 hours prior to the event and at least another reminder on the day of the event.

2. Text message reminders

To combat flooded email inboxes, we recommend supplementing confirmation and reminder emails with an opt-in text message reminder option during the registration process. Users that opt-in to this service will receive an SMS text 15 minutes prior to the event start time as a last-minute reminder. 

3. Implement an asynchronous portal to engage users before and after your event

One of MedPoint Digital’s most exciting solutions is our asynchronous virtual speaker training and virtual advisory board portal, CloudPort. This tool allows your speakers or KOLs to complete important activities before and after your event. Once in the portal, users can access training, discussions, pre-reads, surveys, calendars, and more. This is a great method for sharing information you want to discuss during the live event or to sign off on documents that need to be tracked.  

These are our top three suggestions for ensuring your event will go off without a hitch, and your attendees will be kept up to date on important information. Reach out to MedPoint Digital to make certain your next event is a success!  

To learn more about MedPoint Digital’s asynchronous portal for virtual speaker training and virtual advisory boards, contact us today! 

 

About MedPoint Digital, Inc.

MedPoint Digital, Inc. partners with biopharma companies to deploy virtual pharmaceutical meetings and advanced portals that produce unique value. Our goals are to lower costs, improve quality and expedite timelines with digital platforms that transform key areas of clinical operations, commercial objectives, and study site tasks.


Easily Track Site Trainings for Clinical Trials

Situation:

In August 2022, Pharma A came to MedPoint Digital (MedPoint) looking for a solution to train their sites for a phase 3 clinical trial. They had previously used SharePoint combined with some other manual systems to track training, but it had become too cumbersome with upwards of 330 sites, unique training required for different roles, and sites being added at various times. There were also enterprise-level trainings that site staff only needed to complete once, but they were having a difficult time keeping track of who had completed these trainings. This resulted in some needing to redo the same training multiple times.

Pharma A’s goal was to implement a system to easily track who had completed what training, when it was completed, and be able to provide proof of completion for audit purposes.

Solution:

MedPoint has a comprehensive portal, called TriPort, which is specifically designed for clinical trials to maximize organization, training, and communication, while simultaneously lowering costs and is 21 CFR-part 11-certified. The Training center allows admins the ability to assign and track certain documents to specific roles, each with an official eSignature. TriPort also tracks enterprise-level training across all studies so if a user participates in multiple studies, they will not have to retake the training each time. The admins can also send templated reminder emails to just those who have not completed a particular training by a certain date.

Pharma A had their TriPort up and running six weeks after their initial request. For this team, TriPort resolved several training hurdles that they were up against, with the bonus of storing and accessing important trial documents easily in the Documents center, all within the same secure platform. The Documents center is a simple, complimentary tool to streamline the organization and distribution of new documents and ensure version control amongst updated documents.

Results:

Pharma A almost immediately saved a notable amount of time with the ease of overseeing training in TriPort along with its suite of admin reports. Pharma A also noted that they were pleasantly surprised at how user-friendly TriPort was for sites to pick up as they were added to the study without needing intensive onboarding. The portal has made great strides in efficiency for this team, and it will continue to be utilized through the planned trial end date.

To learn more about TriPort, our advanced investigator trial portal, contact MedPoint Digital today!

 

About MedPoint Digital, Inc.

MedPoint Digital, Inc. partners with biopharma companies to deploy virtual pharmaceutical meetings and advanced portals that produce unique value. Our goals are to lower costs, improve quality and expedite timelines with digital platforms that transform key areas of clinical operations, commercial objectives, and study site tasks.