Implementing new technology, such as eSource and eConsent systems and sponsor portals, is the biggest challenge sites face in organizing and running decentralized and hybrid trials, according to a new survey of sponsors and CROs.

Seventy percent of Veeva Systems’ 226 survey respondents cited technology adoption, followed by 59 percent naming overcoming internal resistance to change and obtaining stakeholder buy-in as a hurdle.

Data protection and patient privacy were also big concerns, with 51 percent naming them as a hurdle, followed closely by potential burdens for technology-averse patients (50 percent). Less than half of respondents named compliance (45 percent) and data collection/reporting (44 percent) as stumbling blocks.

Respondents were well aware of the need to reduce site burden when implementing decentralized/hybrid approaches; two-thirds of CROs and a little more than half of sponsors said they were prioritizing site technology and focusing on reducing the number of different technologies sites need to onboard. One respondent said they planned to put resources into physician and site coordinator training earlier on, while another cited the need “to provide a helping hand, a white glove approach to help [sites] with efficient execution.”

Access the full survey here: https://bit.ly/2ZEiFdf.