In three short years, decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) have turned skeptics into believers. Trial sponsors who were once hesitant are now embracing the DCT model—and for good reason. Today’s DCTs are addressing longstanding industry challenges, expanding access to patients and clinicians, increasing diversity, accelerating cohort recruitment, and improving retention.  

Now that everyone agrees DCTs are here to stay, 2023 will be the year of fostering an improved trial experience for both patients and clinicians. There will also be a growing number of use cases proving that smart DCT strategies are delivering stronger trial outcomes.  
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Greatest DCT Achievements of 2022  

Before we take a look at what’s to come for the industry, let’s have a look back at a few highlights from 2022.  

1. Increased DCT Awareness and Knowledge

2022 marked the rapidly growing adoption of DCTs, with 40 to 45% of studies incorporating decentralized methods, up from 20 to 25% of studies in 2021, according to Everest Group. At this rate, 90% of the industry will incorporate some DCT component for their clinical trials by 2024. The rapid growth of DCTs represents a major shift for this traditionally risk-adverse industry.

2. A Corresponding Rise in Patient Access

Digital recruitment strategies, powered by targeted ads, are successfully increasing cohort diversity. These digital tools enable outreach to populations who otherwise might have been unaware or skeptical of a clinical trial opportunity. Electronic patient reporting from home also made it easier for people who would otherwise see participation as too much of a hassle to sign up for trials.  

3. Improved Patient Centricity

In 2022, sponsors implemented more interactive tools so that study teams could engage more effectively with participants, using televisits and other remote communication tools. This is a win for all stakeholders. Patients appreciate the convenience and easy access to professionals, trial sponsors receive stronger data with higher compliance and retention rates, and clinicians improve their efficiency with smoother workflows. To learn more on this topic, read our blog post on patient centricity in clinical trials.
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Most Promising DCT Trends for 2023

This positive momentum will continue throughout 2023. Here’s our forecast for the most promising trends in clinical research:

1. DCT platforms will become more and more integrated.

A growing number of DCT platform providers will offer end-to-end, integrated technology solutions, minimizing the need to cherry-pick different technologies and capabilities across vendors. DCT players will develop more seamless systems to reduce data siloes, aggregating multiple data sources into a single source of truth for sponsors and their CROs.  

2. Greater investment will be made in meeting the needs of sites.

The efforts to reduce burden will be broadened from a focus on patients to a recognition that clinical trial sites also need stronger support to efficiently manage the back end of trials.  

Site teams, buckling under the weight of heavy administrative workloads, are being asked to learn and manage too many disparate technology platforms. (For example, we recently spoke with a study coordinator who needed to maintain data on 23 platforms with 11 access points.)  

This year, we’ll see greater efforts to simplify tools, technology, and processes to minimize the burden on sites and improve the experience for these crucial stakeholders.  

3. The pendulum will swing back toward service.

Following two years of technology taking prominence in DCT conversations, some companies imagined they could automate their way to better trial results. But, while technology is an important enabler, it doesn’t replace the need for humans to keep patients connected, safe, and engaged.  

In 2023, we’ll see a re-centering on the study teams who are so crucial to keeping the trial process on track—and a recognition that the winning model for improved clinical trials is tech-enabled services.  

4. Data quality will take a leap forward.

The advent of digital health technologies has opened the door to more accurate trial outcomes and endpoints. AI-enabled mobile modalities, sensors, and wearables are creating better signals and thus generating more robust data on symptomatology.  

In the years ahead, these tools will continue to flourish, providing a steady stream of objective, sensitive, and insightful endpoints to inform development across the drug, device, and digital therapeutic sectors. The management of vast and diverse datasets from new and unconventional sources and formats will pose challenges. However, smart integration and data management will chart a path toward more sophisticated prognostics and predictive data analyses.  
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Final Thoughts on the Future of DCTs

The life sciences industry is at a critical point in its evolution: DCTs are the way forward. For this approach to reach its full potential, the industry must continue to prioritize input from patients and clinicians and work to relieve pain points for all stakeholders. The benefits of digitizing and decentralizing research are clear, enabling the delivery of stronger evidence. Now is the time to harness this momentum to get life-improving innovations to market, faster.  

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