Beyond Features: 3 Things Every CTMS and eTMF Should Offer
The global clinical trial management system CTMS & eTMF market is expected to see 13.9% growth over the current decade, estimated at $4.72 billion by 2030. Digital acceleration in the form of an increasing number of decentralized clinical trials contributes to this projected growth, and the need for top CTMS solutions has never been greater.
But despite the continuous evolution of trial management tools, users like CROs, sponsors, and sites are still faced with CTMS & eTMF options that aren’t informed by meaningful design, or that entail exploitative fees and/or require cumbersome contracts. This can lock an organization into suboptimal tools and hamper their ability to react in a dynamic landscape.
It's important to select vendors who prioritize innovating their products and services to meet the changing demands of the Life Sciences landscape. A genuine CTMS & eTMF solution doesn’t merely meet the basic needs of the current moment, it provides true freedom and control by delivering flexibility, scalability, and affordability—across time.
In this blog we’ll unpack what users really need from a CTMS & eTMF, examining three key design characteristics crucial to an effective, long-term trial management solution that truly meets industry needs.
Flexibility
What it looks like
Choosing only what you need means avoiding the unnecessary burden of acquiring and maintaining separate e-clinical tools or being oversold on outdated or bulky systems. And for sponsors who work with multiple partners, thoughtfully-designed features enables study oversight within one system and in your preferred format .
What to look for
Complete control to manage your data in one system, regardless of in-house or CRO-managed
Customizable to support study and team needs
APIs that provide the ability to work with other systems out of the box
An optimal solution offers the ability to easily customize for study and cross-study needs, which may look like a customize column feature, custom fields, custom trackers, etc. It might also provide, as standard offerings, both of the following:
Readily available data import features with easy-to-use templates
Data and dashboard exports in common formats to support study oversight needs
The ability to quickly build new studies, templates, or rosters utilizing available studies
Other key needs for CROs and sponsor collaborations are the ability to create studies with different TMF models and to easily build visit report templates.
Scalability
What it looks like
With scalability comes the freedom to upgrade plan and licenses to meet growth or add extra CTMS & eTMF tools. Having a well-designed and feature-forward solution enables organizations to select complementary best-in-class tools such as EDC products without having one’s options restricted or curtailed—for example, getting “locked in” to utilizing a less innovative EDC vendor because of an inflexible CTMS vendor.
What to look for
A robust product purpose-built to accommodate evolving study needs
Tools that scale quickly and seamlessly, without costly or resource-intensive delays originating from the eClinical vendor
Ability to easily leverage integrations with external systems such as EDC
An optimal solution will include a comprehensive feature set with the ability to adopt features as you need them, and the ability to integrate features when relevant (such as automatically posting final visit reports and attachments to the eTMF). As studies progress and responsibilities expand, having functionality at the ready to manage needs such as monitoring trip reports, site contracts and payments, study forecasting, and risk-based management will help teams quickly manage the study and financial health without missing a beat.
Affordability
What it looks like
When clients are not required to purchase and piece together separate e-clinical systems, the result is avoidance of hidden costs and dependencies, such as system start-up fees, adoption fees, integration fees, connector fees, and even training fees.
What to look for
Transparent, pay-for-what-you-need subscription model without burdensome long-term contracts
On-demand, without startup delays or hidden costs
Wide-range of support materials provided at no extra charge
An optimal solution emphasizes transparency and reasonable pricing as a core value, with tangible results to the customer. For example, including as a standard feature comprehensive and updated support materials in a variety of formats, like quick-start guides, videos and training manuals, or even a searchable knowledge database. A reasonably-priced solution also enables clients to purchase optional services such as validation documentation when the need arises -- not by inflating the pricing for all clients.
How does your current CTMS & eTMF compare?
At SimpleTrials, we believe in providing feature-rich solutions at an affordable price. Our SimpleTrials CTMS+eTMF is designed by experienced trial managers—real people who’ve run clinical studies, used e-clinical applications, and who understand what today’s trials want and need.
All this, and more
Consequently, our platform delivers all of the features and capabilities mentioned above, plus:
Our flexible and highly-customizable solution offers portfolio level content for cross-study insights, study-level views to track specific needs, and an Admin area for full workspace control.
For optimal scalability, SimpleTrials has a comprehensive feature set that is ready for your next study challenge. You can start small and simple, and grow your portfolio into global phase 3 studies with advanced study management functionality.
We pioneered the subscription model—affordability is a core value for us.
And with knowledgeable service and bespoke support, SimpleTrials CTMS + eTMF is not just a product—it’s a flexible, scalable, affordable solution.
Let’s talk about what we can do together. Reach out for a demo today.