Enhancing Control of the Medication Supply Chain in Clinical Trials Managed by Interactive Voice Response Systems
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Sarah Waters Perceptive Informatics. Nottingham. UK lain Dowlman Perceptive Informatics. Notlingham. UK Kevin Drako Perceptive Informatics. Nottingham. UK lee Gamble Perceptive Informatics. Notlingham. UK Martin lang Perceptive Informatics, Nottingham. UK Damian McEntegart Perceptive Informatics. Nottingham. UK
Key Words Randomization and trial supply management; Interactive voice response; Interactive web response; Supply chain management; Clinical trials Correspondence Address Damian McEntegart. Perceptive Informatics. Meadow Grove. Nottingham N G 2 3HF. UK (email: damian.mcentegart@ perceptive. corn).
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Enhancing Control of the Medication Supply Chain in Clinical Trials Managed by Interactive Voice Response Systems One of the major goals of managing the medication of any clinical trial is to ensure that it is distributed effectively. The continued and increasing use of interactive voice response systems (IVRS) in the management of medication has no doubt resulted in savings in terms of optimizing the supply chain. However, as studies become more complex and drug development becomes increasingly expensive, the traditional
INTRODUCTION This article provides a brief overview of the traditional methods of interactive voice response system (IVRS) medication management and outlines how the use of various enhanced methods of IVRS medication management can create a more efficient supply chain, with particular emphasis on improving the management of expiry and reducing the risks associated with unblinding through intelligent guesswork by the site.
BACKGROUND A large proportion of the cost of implementing a clinical trial is attributable to the production and management of medication. Traditionally the supply of medication to sites has been controlled manually, often by means of a single shipment containing sufficient medication to account for the requirements of all recruited subjects expected at that site. However, this method lacks flexibility and invariably leads to one or more of the following problems: Sites that recruit more than anticipated will run out of medication. Sites that do not recruit as well as expected will cause medication to be left unused, which almost certainly will be wasted. Sites may be unable to accommodate the volume of supplies requiring storage.
IVRS system of medication management has had to evolve in response to these increasing demands. As a result, novel methods of IVRS medication management have been developed to provide more flexibility and robustness in the strategies used to manage medication in a bid to further optimize the efficiencyof the supply chain.
A number of strategies have been devised to try and make the supply chain more efficient, but most rely on labor-intensive manual interventions and rapid, accurate feedback from sites (1).As a result, the management of the distribution of medication by computerized systems, in association with a telephone (IVRS) or web interface, has become increasingly common. By automating the trial supply chain, the available medication i
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