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Abstract #19236 Published in IGR 3-1
Telemedicine techniques can be used to facilitate the conduct of multicentre trials
Kennedy C; Kirwan J; Cook C; Roux P; Stulting A; Murdoch IJournal of Telemedicine and Telecare 2000; 6: 343-347
A multicenter randomized controlled trial was established in Pretoria, Bloemfontein, and Edendale in South Africa, and coordinated from London. The purpose of the trial was to determine the efficacy of low-dose beta irradiation of glaucoma. Five communication modalities (telephone, fax, e-mail, videoconferencing, and face-to-face meetings) were examined in terms of their benefits in a multicenter trial. The eight stages of the multicenter trial examined were: set-up and training, recruitment, standardization, patient management, data transmission, update and data dissemination, clinical follow-up and monitoring, and publication. On four-point Likert scales for rating the usefulness of the communication modalities at each of the eight stages of the trial (from 0 = not useful to 3 = very useful; maximum score 24) the telephone was given a total score of 10, fax 9, e-mail 13, videoconferencing 15 and face-to-face meetings 9. Telemedicine techniques offer considerable benefits in the coordination of multicentre trials by improving data collection, maintaining the efficacy and monitoring of trials, while potentially offering reduced costs in terms of travel and time. The real-time scrutiny of patient records helps to ensure data uniformity and completeness of data collection. Videoconferencing was most useful when considered as one of several communication tools that can be used to improve the effectiveness of a service or process.
Dr C. Kennedy, Department of Epidemiology and International Eye Health, Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK. c.kennedy@mailbox.uq.edu.au
