A clinical trial management system (CTMS) is a tool used by institutions to effectively plan, manage, and track their clinical research activities, such as protocols, staff, subjects, financials, billings, and more. It provides a centralized storage system of data and web-based solutions to manage clinical trials from start to finish. Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, academic universities, and private research firms often use this technology. Keep reading to learn more about CTMS and its benefits.

Features

Some features to look for when purchasing CTMS are listed below.

1. 1. Standardized workflow- CTMS can help streamline everyday tasks for all staff members, allowing them to spend more time on more crucial aspects of the project. Using a platform that allows sharing of resources will also help the team learn from each other’s experiences and grow together.
   2. Technology integration- Using tools that can easily be integrated with other platforms can significantly reduce time and effort, thus increasing efficiency and data quality. The most common technology integrations teams look for include the protocol and subject information, demographics, protocol billing grid, general ledgers, and other research systems such as eRegulatory, EDC, eIRB, participant payments, and more.
   3. Customization- Opt for a solution to mold the organization’s practices and policies, improving work efficiency.
   4. Frequent software updates- Use software that undergoes frequent updates (three to four per year). This helps ensure the system can handle growing industrial needs, adapt to customer requirements, and store data safely.
   5. Ease of use- Is the solution intuition-based, or does the team need extra training sessions to use it effectively? Planning this out in advance can help improve workflow.
   6. Customer care- Working with software that offers good customer service and quick resolutions can help reduce any frustration or downtime.
   7. Two-way communication- Using tools that offer two-way communication between patients and the team can ease the process of communication, making it easier to schedule appointments and increase engagement and retention.
   8. Compliance- If the CTMS is used to store regulated data, it will require appropriate validation and compliance certification.
   9. Cost- Last but not least, checking the costs involved when purchasing CTMS is important. Is it a multi-year contract or a solution that can be scaled in the future? Being sure about one’s requirements can also help make a better financial decision.

Benefits of using a CTMS

Using a CTMS solution can help improve studies in a myriad of ways. These include-

1. 1. Improves access- By standardizing all the processes of a project, a CTMS solution provides transparency and improves access to all aspects of a study, allowing the team to make better-informed decisions.
   2. Allows teams to collaborate better- CTMS solutions are also a great way of improving collaboration among the different teams involved in a project. All associated entities can access the latest data, significantly improving study tracking and progress.
   3. Improves efficiency- Depending on the CTMS chosen, teams can plan, track, and monitor studies more efficiently. Automatic updates within the system can also check off completed tasks, offering a sense of satisfaction.
   4. Reduces the chances of oversight- Since using a CTMS solution improves transparency and allows the entire team to access project data, it may also help reduce the risk of oversight. These solutions also automatically create dashboards and data reports to help teams better visualize their progress or aggregate multiple studies.

Best CTMS tools

Florence E-binders
Florence E-Binders is a popular solution used by over 12,000 clinical trial investigative sites. This CTMS allows teams to enable monitoring, startup, and source data verification remotely. It is typically used by clinical research coordinators in fields like research and hospital, and healthcare. Users can also use advanced integration controls to seamlessly share documents and data between CTMS, eConsent, and IRB portals.

Clario CTMS
Clario allows users to integrate Office tools, documents, and business process workflow into the regulated world. It is ideal for teams working in the pharmaceutical industry.

Rave CTMS
Rave CTMS is offered by Medidata Solutions for research teams in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. This CTMS offers real-time tracking and reporting of data reconciliation and study progress. It also has powerful modules for data monitoring, outsourcing, and site payments that can function together or separately.

MasterControl Clinical Excellence
MasterControl Clinical Excellence is a CTMS and quality management tool that provides data and document management with compliance and auditing protection.

VialConnect
VialConnect is an intuitive CTMS for coordinators and investigators. The solution comes in three variants – Electronic Data Capture (EDC), CTMS, and an electronic Trial Master File (eTMF). Because this solution is free at the entry level, it is more prevalent among small and medium-level businesses.

Advarra OnCore
The OnCore Enterprise Research System by Advarra is a leading CTMS platform that major research organizations nationwide use. It offers visibility to the team’s research portfolio, improves the billing process, integrates with various enterprise applications, offers comprehensive reporting and analytics, and more.

Clinical Conductor CTMS
This CTMS is primarily offered as a solution for small businesses to standardize and simplify complex processes when conducting clinical trials. It is one of the leading platforms for managing research and collaborating across various trials and sites. The company also offers 24×7 customer service and ongoing online training to help teams extract the most out of the system.

Similar to ERP, Material Requirements Planning or MRP is one of the most important aspects of manufacturing. It is a way for manufacturers to connect their inventory forecasting with their accounting department. It is required to streamline the process of manufacturing right from raw materials to the finished products. For efficient streamlining, an MRP software has multiple features. They are:

• Production control
• Inventory control
• Cost reporting
• Scheduling
• Bills of material
• Capacity planning
• Estimation
• Warehouse management
• Accounts payable
• Change control
• Sales analysis
• Purchase ledger

However, there are certain features of a manufacturer software that are more in demand than others.

• Demand prediction
  Forecasting demand for outgoing inventory is an essential factor of increasing profits of a manufacturing business. Manufacturing too less will cause a production backlog, whereas overdoing it will lead to an excess of finished products occupying too much of inventory space. This is why demand prediction is one of the most in-demand features of an MRP software. With this, a manufacturing company can easily predict with accuracy how many orders are required to be managed. Most manufacturer’s software has demand forecasting capability with the following features: historical data gathering, generating forecasts based on the data, and authorization of the forecast.
• Production planning
  An MRP software automates and creates finite schedules for the completion of manufacturing jobs. After determining the required inventory, the software will plan production by determining lead ties, production times, and the overall project time. It takes into account the purchase and procurement of materials and supplies required for the manufacturing process. High volume companies usually benefit from this feature since there is less variance in their overall demand for finished goods. A routine schedule enables complete utilization of the production line, ensuring maximum output. Most MRP software allowS manufacturers to fine tune their production schedule using the production planning feature to get the best out of their manufacturing process.
• Purchase scheduling
  One of the core features of a manufacturer’s software is purchase scheduling or purchase planning. This feature is required to determine the timely purchase of raw materials for the manufacturing process in order to meet the demand. This feature assists the purchasing department in understanding what is required for orders placed and for demands that have been forecasted by the system. Also, it helps determine the exact list of materials and its quantities required to finish a manufacturing job. Moreover, since production planning may change from time to time based on demand forecasts, purchase planning becomes a critical feature while looking for an MRP software.