Reducing the use of paper in clinical trials in 2012
| Sittingbourne: Thursday, 12th January 2012 Kent Science Park-based company NorthWise Services (NWS) is on course to help reduce the amount of paper used in life science research in 2012. Even in today's eco-conscious business environment, it is surprising how many companies are still gathering information on paper. NWS champions collecting clinical trials data directly in electronic format, rather than wasting paper by logging it in manually before transferring it to a database. Collecting data in this way reduces an organisation's carbon footprint by reducing waste and it improves the quality of data being collected, because patient compliance with correct clinical trial procedures is improved. Amassing data in this way is better for the environment, and it is also more cost effective than using paper. Other significant developments in NWS's ambition to reduce paper waste for these organisations includes the development of a web portal that allows clients to combine a number of data collection approaches in a single location online and the use of electronic patient diaries as a more reliable and eco-friendly alternative to paper diaries used to collect self-reporting data from patients in clinical trials. Phillip North, Managing Director of NorthWise Services said: 'NWS has developed ICT based approaches to collecting data ever since its establishment 11 years ago. We have worked with a number of partner companies over the years in order to be able to offer the appropriate technology to our clients, both to suit their needs and as a viable alternative to paper. In the course of our work, thousands of the electronic patient diary devices have been stored in the secure environment of the NWS premises at the Kent Science Park. 'Indeed, one of the main reasons why NWS originally chose to locate its offices at the Kent Science Park was the high level of site security there. Data for clinical and related studies have increasingly been collected electronically in recent years and this is clearly the way forward for the future. The new online management system for clinical images is proving popular with companies in the US. The challenge for us now is to get companies in the UK and the rest of Europe to adopt this way of working. The sooner we achieve this, the sooner we will see a reduction in unnecessary paper wastage.' James Speck, Site Director for Kent Science Park said: 'It is encouraging to see NWS championing the use of electronic data collection. We are strong supporters of this at Kent Science Park and with high security and almost unlimited bandwidth connectivity we have become a popular location for the provision of data back-up and disaster recovery services. The site currently has over 20,000 sq ft of space dedicated to data storage and back-up.' |