Programmatic Theme: Clinical Research Informatics

Abstract: Timely accrual continues to be a challenge in clinical trials. The evolution of Electronic Health Record systems and cohort selection tools like i2b2 have improved identification of potential candidate participants. However, delays in receiving relevant patient information and lack of real time patient identification cause difficulty in meeting recruitment targets. The authors have designed and developed a proof of concept platform that informs authorized study team members about potential participant matches while the patient is at a healthcare setting. This Just-In-Time Alert (JITA) application leverages Health Level 7 (HL7) messages and parses them against study eligibility criteria using Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud technologies. When required conditions are satisfied, the rules engine triggers an alert to the study team. Our pilot tests using difficult to recruit trials currently underway at the UMass Medical School have shown significant potential by generating more than 90 patient alerts in a 90-day testing timeframe.

Learning Objective: Our main goal was to develop a proof of concept (POC) application that facilitates timely recruitment and enrollment of clinical trials participants with the potential to expand to other institutions.

Authors:

Vincent Lee, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Ketan Parekh, University of Massachusetts Medical School
George Matthew, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Qiming Shi, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Keith Pelletier, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Aneth Canale, UMass Medical School
Katherine Luzuriaga, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Jomol Mathew (Presenter)
UMass Medical School