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Journal List > AMIA Annu Symp Proc > v.2005; 2005

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AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2005; 2005: 1056.
PMCID: PMC1560838
Copyright This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose
Providing PDA-Based Clinical Trial Listings to Oncologists
Valerie Monaco, PhD, MHCI,1,2,3 Samuel A. Jacobs, MD,1 Aab M. Arnold, BS,3 and Mary Beth Simon, RN, MSN1
1 University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
2 Center for Biomedical Informatics
3 Benedum Oncology Informatics Center University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA
Abstract
Sub-optimal accrual rates to adult oncology clinical trials have been reported. One potential accrual barrier has been the step of identifying potential clinical trials for patients. In order to partially address this barrier, a clinical trial listing was developed for oncologists to use on their personal digital assistants (PDAs). Preliminary feedback was gathered from an initial group of physicians who accessed this resource. Benefits of this approach as well as future enhancements are discussed.
BACKGROUND
Enrolling a patient in a cancer clinical trial is a multi-step process with barriers present at each step.1 One initial activity is to identify potential trials for the patient. Physician workflow requires that this identification take place rapidly and conveniently. PDAs permit physicians to access medical-related information in a timely and efficient manner. However, the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of PDA-based clinical trial information have not been explored to date.
METHODS
Dynamic content Web pages were created using Macromedia Dreamweaver and ColdFusion. The Web page content was drawn from clinical trial information for approximately 240 trials maintained in an Oracle database. This information included trial title, disease type, disease stage, principal investigator, key eligibility and ineligibility criteria, study schema, and contact information. In order to permit physicians to rapidly identify trials of interest, we developed a three-tier selection process. Users first selected a broad cancer category (e.g., Lung Cancer) or trial category (e.g., Phase I). Cancer sub-types were then presented (e.g., small cell, non-small cell, mesothelioma). Finally, broad trial categories that further described disease characteristic (e.g., metastatic) or trial characteristics (e.g., adjuvant) were presented. Trial titles for this three-tier specification were then displayed. Each title had a ‘more info’ link that presented all other data elements described above in a single page format.
In order to deliver the clinical trial content to the physicians’ PDAs, a contract was established with AvantGo. AvantGo is a software application that allows users to retrieve web-based content and store it on their PDA. AvantGo updates all PDA-based pages whenever synchronization occurs.
Four physicians at two different network cancer center locations were selected for participation in this project. These four physicians installed the free AvantGo software on their own PDAs and home computers. They were contacted one month after installing the software and were asked to complete a structured phone survey regarding the application.
RESULTS
Each physician reported having used the PDA-based listing. Benefits reported included the speed at which trials could be identified and the convenience of the PDA-based information. Three central usability issues were identified. Physicians noted that clearer categories were needed. For example, physicians were unsure of the difference between a trial labeled “Stage IV” and one labeled “Metastatic.” Physicians also wanted to identify which trials were open at their particular network location. Finally, some physicians noted that certain pages were not loading due to a time out error. Three out the four physicians were continuing to use the application at the time of the phone survey.
DISCUSSION
The feasibility and acceptability of PDA-based clinical trial information has been demonstrated. Several important usability issues have been identified and are being addressed in the second round of development. Further studies will examine if the use of the PDA listing results in higher accrual rates.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We wish to thank Brenda Crocker, Jeff McHugh, and Kemp Mullaney for their assistance. This work was supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (R21CA101721). Funding for the AvantGo contract was provided by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.
REFERENCES
1. Lara PN, Higdon R, Lim N, et al. Prospective evaluation of cancer clinical trial accrual patterns: Identifying potential barriers to enrollment. J Clin Oncol. 2001 Mar 15;19(6):1728–33. [PubMed]
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