To kick off 2024, Ryan Jones, Catherine Gregor, and Blake Adams explored insights from our fifth annual 2024 State of Tech-Enabled Clinical Trials report. In an engaging webinar, they shared key findings shaping the ever-evolving landscape of Site Enablement. The focus was on significant trends and the future of technology adoption in clinical trials, with rapid adoption seen in eConsent, eISF, and Site Feasibility.

The report was backed by a survey involving 221 respondents across life sciences. The demographics included hospitals and health systems, academic medical centers, independent research sites, sponsor organizations, cancer centers, and contract research organizations. The study’s portfolios varied widely, ranging from less than 10 studies to over 100.

The industry has seen a remarkable increase in the adoption of three pivotal digital solutions:

• eISF Adoption: From 41% in 2020 to an impressive 64% in 2024, research sites are increasingly using Electronic Investigator Site Files (eISF) to take control of their infrastructure.
• eConsent: Starting with a 20% usage in 2020, we’ve witnessed a threefold increase in the use of eConsent platforms, significantly improving efficiency, remote access, and patient engagement.
• Feasibility Software: 72% of sites adopted feasibility software, indicative of a need for efficient patient recruitment and operational feasibility. Site Feasibility will be a key area for best-in-class software applications, indicating high adoption but misunderstanding of required capabilities.

In this digital era, a tech gap is emerging, indicating the need for effective collaboration between sponsors and sites.

Sponsors are moving from portals to full eISF deployment to sites to close the tech gap. The use of sponsor-deployed document portals has significantly decreased, reflecting this shift in adoption trends.

Overall we’re seeing a shift toward opt-in, empowered sites as site power continues to rise and sponsors/CROs must develop digital mandates that provide site-centric technology to sites when needed, yet integrate with sites that have existing technology stacks.

Based on our findings from this year’s report, here are our top 3 recommendations for 2024:

1. Embrace remote and digitization. With the rise of DCT and workforce shifts, a remote-first approach is essential.
2. Say goodbye to closed-platforms. The future is in integrated tech ecosystems. Change is not optional—it’s necessary.
3. Adapt and innovate to keep pace with the rapidly evolving technology landscape.

What does the clinical trial technology landscape look like? Check out our interactive Clinical Trial Technology Landscape Tech Map for an in-depth look at the eClinical vendor ecosystem.

As we approach 2024, these insights reveal a future of opt-in, empowered sites playing active roles in the clinical trial value chain. The report’s data underscores the industry’s gradual shift towards higher tech-enabled trials, dealing with sponsors and sites’ pain points along the way.

Download the full report to explore all the insights from the 2024 State of Tech-Enabled Clinical Trials.