A Clinical Data Management System for Diabetes Clinical Trials

BACKGROUND: The use of novel medications and methods to prevent, diagnose, treat, and manage diabetes requires confirmation of safety and efficacy in a well-designed study prior to widespread adoption. Diabetes clinical trials are the studies that examine these issues. The aim of the present study was to develop a web-based system for data management in diabetes clinical trials. METHODS: The present research was a mixed-methods study conducted in 2019. To identify the required data elements and functions to develop the system, 60 researchers completed a questionnaire. The designed system was evaluated using two methods. The usability of the system was initially evaluated by a group of researchers (n = 6) using the think-aloud method, and after system improvement, the system functions were evaluated by other researchers (n = 30) using a questionnaire. RESULTS: The main data elements which were required to develop a case report form included “study data,” “participant's personal data,” and “clinical data.” The functional requirements of the system were “managing the study,” “creating case report forms,” “data management,” “data quality control,” and “data security and confidentiality.” After using the system, researchers rated the system functions at a “good” level (6.3 ± 0.73) on a seven-point Likert scale. CONCLUSION: Given the complexity of the data management processes in diabetes clinical trials and the widespread use of information technologies in research, the use of clinical data management systems in diabetes clinical trials seems inevitable. The system developed in the current study can facilitate and improve the process of creating and managing case report forms as well as collecting data in diabetes clinical trials.