What is DCT?
Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCTs) are types of clinical trials, which use some technologies to run study activities remotely, or in a setting other than the health facility where the research doctors are based. Such study activities could include, for example, giving consent for participation in clinical trials, study visits, giving biological samples, collecting trial medications by the trial participants, and collecting data from the participants, including diaries and trial outcomes. DCTs could use technologies such as mobile phones and associated applications on the phones, wearable devices, telemedicine, video conferencing tools, electronic diaries, electronic consent, and others.
Why DCT?
DCTs could facilitate the conduct of clinical trials by increasing the convenience for trial participants since they could take part in the trial without the need to go to the research centers physically. DCTs may reduce the burden on caregivers and facilitate research on rare diseases and diseases affecting populations with limited mobility or access to traditional trial sites. This may help improve trial participant engagement, recruitment, enrollment, and retention of a meaningfully diverse clinical population. DCTs also potentially expand access to more diverse patient populations and improve trial efficiencies.
Why this DCT survey?
Given the potential benefits of DCTs and because information on DCT is sparse in resource-limited settings, we would like to assess the challenges and enablers for conducting DCTs in the African continent using this proposed survey.
What do we want from you?
We would like you to either complete this 30-minutes survey, and share your experience on
DCT and/or forward the link to the survey within your network.