The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will use an iPad application developed by Mytrus, a clinical technology and services company for medical and pharmaceutical research, in an upcoming pilot study supported by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.  

UAB is evaluating how digital tools might simplify enrollment and enhance patient understanding during the informed consent process. Kenneth G. Saag, MD, Msc, professor in the UAB department of medicine, will lead the study.

Using animation and other visual imagery, the Mytrus iPad application is the first in the industry to condense the complex and critical disclosure information required at the start of a clinical trial into an easy-to-understand, digitized format. Furthermore, data entered at the site is quickly synced with the clinical trial database, giving researchers anywhere in the world a better methodology for monitoring potential adverse effects and patient progress. This new approach not only helps patients better understand the clinical trial process; it helps researchers gain valuable insight into the speed and effectiveness of the informed consent process in multi-center studies.

“The Mytrus application gives study sponsors a window into the informed consent process that they’ve never had before,” said Anthony Costello, CEO of Mytrus. “Like many sponsors we work with, the University of Alabama at Birmingham also recognizes that increasing a patient’s understanding and comfort level during consent is the best way to retain highly motivated and protocol compliant patients throughout the study.”