EMIS, a leading healthcare technology company and part of the UnitedHealth Group, has won the Innovation award in the 2024 Clinical Trials Arena Excellence Awards for its Recruit solution, a tool that aims to streamline the participant recruitment process, which is a critical phase that often dictates the pace and success of clinical trials.
The Clinical Trials Arena Excellence Awards celebrate the greatest achievements and innovations in the pharmaceutical industry, with a special focus on clinical trials. Powered by GlobalData’s business intelligence, the Awards recognize the people and companies that are driving change in the industry.
EMIS won the Innovation award for revolutionizing clinical trial recruitment with its efficient candidate identification via Recruit, seamlessly integrated into EMIS Web. The solution’s scalable engagement programs have optimized response rates and enhanced participant diversity, while maintaining strict ethical standards in data handling and patient safety.
Enhancing recruitment processes through technology
Clinical trial recruitment is notoriously challenging, with studies showing that 80%1 of trials are delayed due to recruitment issues. EMIS’s Recruit solution addresses this by enabling general practitioners (GPs) to identify eligible candidates swiftly, using primary care record data held within EMIS Web (the GPs’ clinical system). This approach has optimized patient invitation and response rates.
Recruit has been strategically embedded within EMIS Web, ensuring that it becomes a natural extension of the daily tools used by healthcare professionals. The seamless design has led to a streamlined process where, with just a few clicks, practitioners can identify eligible patients, engage with them, and obtain necessary consents. The ease of use and minimal disruption to daily practice have been key factors in the positive feedback from healthcare professionals and indicate the solution’s potential to sustain long-term GP engagement in clinical trials.
Furthermore, Recruit’s flexibility is evident in its ability to rapidly set up, adjust cohorts, and scale engagement programs to match the screening capacity of clinical trials. This adaptability ensures that the number of patient invitations is optimized, preventing both under- and over-recruitment, which can be costly and inefficient.
Promoting diversity and upholding ethical standards
Diversity in clinical trial participation is not just a matter of equity; it is a scientific imperative to ensure that research findings are applicable to the entire population. EMIS’s Recruit has made strides in this area by leveraging the extensive primary care network to bring clinical trial opportunities to a representative participant pool. The approach has the potential to improve the generalizability of trial results, leading to treatments that are effective across diverse populations.
In addition to enhancing diversity, EMIS has placed a strong emphasis on ethical standards and patient safety. The Recruit solution operates within the framework of patient consent, ensuring that individuals are fully informed and in control of sharing their data with research organizations to be contacted about targeted trial opportunities. This consent-based approach aligns with the broader industry move towards patient empowerment and adheres to the stringent guidelines set forth by government and NHS bodies.
The ethical handling of data is a cornerstone of EMIS’s operations. The company’s commitment to maintaining patient confidentiality and data security is reflected in the design of the Recruit solution, which prioritizes the protection of sensitive health information. This ethical approach not only builds trust with participants, but also reinforces the company’s reputation as a responsible steward of patient data.
The Recruit solution by EMIS has shown promising early results in addressing some of the most persistent challenges in clinical trial recruitment. The Innovation award recognizes Its ability to streamline the recruitment process, enhance participant diversity, and uphold ethical standards.
“Winning this award for Innovation is a testament to the groundbreaking impact of our Recruit solution. By empowering GP practices to effortlessly connect patients with clinical trials, we’ve accelerated research and expanded access to diverse populations. This recognition highlights our commitment to the NHS in transforming healthcare through cutting-edge technology, enhancing patient engagement and supporting the UK as a leading destination for global clinical research.” – John McCormack, Chief Revenue Officer, EMIS
Company Profile
EMIS is the UK’s leading integrated healthcare technology provider. Patient care is at the heart of everything we do: our goal is to be the leading provider of innovative healthcare technology that improves people’s lives.
EMIS systems are at the fingertips of more than 100,000 NHS clinicians. With the #1 or #2 market positions in all major healthcare settings in the UK, our systems have a far-reaching impact. No matter the setting our goal is the same: to help our customers provide the best possible patient care.
We’re committed to playing our part in vital long-term progress and development of healthcare for the UK population, working with the life sciences industry.
Double award-winning Recruit is a new software innovation that helps GPs match eligible patients to clinical trials. Under-recruitment of patients into clinical trials is a huge problem – it can lead to delays in translating new science discoveries into medical practice, which can slow down patients receiving new treatment breakthroughs. Together with the life sciences industry we’re accelerating that process so that everyone benefits.
EMIS was set up by two practicing Yorkshire GPs with a focus on using technology to improve the care they provided directly to their patients. More than 35 years later EMIS remains clinically-led. Our large team of practicing clinicians guide the development of clinical systems that meet the needs of NHS clinicians: including GPs, nurses and high street pharmacists.
In every way we can, we’re supporting the UK’s front line clinicians to improve the health of the UK, one patient at a time.
Contact Details
EMIS Head Office,
Fulford Grange,
Micklefield Lane,
Rawdon,
Leeds,
LS19 6BA
Phone: 0330 024 1269
Links
Website: emishealth.com
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7342339/
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