Defining methods to improve eSource site start-up practices

Background: eSource software that transfers patient electronic health record data into a clinical trial electronic case report form holds promise for increasing data quality while reducing data collection, monitoring and source document verification costs. Integrating eSource into multicenter clinical trial start-up procedures could facilitate the use of eSource technologies in clinical trials.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative integrative analysis to identify eSource site start-up key steps, challenges that might occur in executing those steps, and potential solutions to those challenges. We then conducted a value analysis to determine the challenges and solutions with the greatest impacts for eSource implementation teams.

Results: There were 16 workshop participants: 10 pharmaceutical sponsor, 3 academic site, and 1 eSource vendor representative. Participants identified 36 Site Start-Up Key Steps, 11 Site Start-Up Challenges, and 14 Site Start-Up Solutions for eSource-enabled studies. Participants also identified 77 potential impacts of the Challenges upon the Site Start-Up Key Steps and 70 ways in which the Solutions might impact Site Start-Up Challenges. The most important Challenges were: [1] not being able to identify a site eSource champion and [2] not agreeing on an eSource approach. The most important Solutions were: [1] eSource vendors accepting electronic data in the Health Level 7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (HL7® FHIR®) standard, [2] creating standard content for eSource-related legal documents, and [3] creating a common eSource site readiness checklist.

Conclusions: Site start-up for eSource-enabled multi-center clinical trials is a complex socio-technical problem. This study's Start-Up Solutions provide initial steps for scalable eSource implementation.