Decentralization Presents A Leap Forward For Clinical Trials

By Dr. Tom Moon, MRCP, Director of Business Development, Current Health

In 1946, the U.K.’s Medical Research Council introduced randomization to eliminate observer bias, marking the inception of the first published randomized controlled trial (RCT) for streptomycin. Today, we witness another significant advancement with decentralized studies, emphasizing treatment in patients’ natural surroundings. These studies break free from the constraints of hospitals, making research an integral part of everyday life.

For decades, RCTs, the gold standard, have been conducted primarily within centralized, academic medical centers. This model has faced growing criticism for producing trials that are overly artificial, uniform, slow, and costly. Drawing from my experience as a physician and my current role at a company offering a comprehensive home healthcare platform, I firmly believe that the healthcare industry, including pharmaceuticals, is poised to lead the charge in the next healthcare evolution: the decentralization of clinical trials.

Keep Tom’s article reading in Forbes.