MetricWire

Overview: Metricwire is a web-based application that allows clinical trials investigators to recruit, screen, engage and observe clinical trial participants through their mobile device.

Heres how it works: Using the web application, investigators design an information page for their trial and a series of questions for screening potential participants. This information gets pushed to the MetricWire mobile application and can include a description of the new research treatment, investigator backgrounds, possible risks, monetary or other incentives and post participation requirements.

Mobile app users are able to view all available clinical trials and respond to the screening questions. The responses to the screening criteria are sent back to the web app where the investigator can review them in real-time. The investigator can even choose to automate the screening process. If the mobile user meets the screening criteria, they will be invited to participate in the trial. Once the participant accepts the invitation to the trial, they can begin engaging directly with the investigator.

In clinical trials, investigators need to collect data from both on and off-site participants and MetricWire streamlines this entire process. For on-site data collection, investigators can use the web app to create structured forms (Case Report Forms that are compliant with FDA CRF 21-11) and push them to their mobile devices. With MetricWire, investigators can collect data via their tablets in a clinical setting. This reduces the amount of time required to examine a participant and in turn, reduces research fatigue. Moreover, mobile electronic data capture provides higher quality data than alternative methods.

Using the web app, investigators can design a series of questions/activities which can be sent to participants based on time and/or location, poll the smartphone’s onboard sensors to acquire data on the participant’s environment, and acquire data from wearable devices paired with the mobile app. This allows investigators to acquire sophisticated data on participants in an unobtrusive manner; once again, reducing research fatigue. Furthermore, the investigator can engage participants from the web application by pushing multimedia content to the participant’s mobile device. This includes text notifications, documents, audio, pictures, video, and other multimedia. Conversely, participants can communicate directly with the investigators via built in instant messaging. These features drastically increase the frequency and intensity of investigator-participant engagements.

All of the data collected, both on and off site, can be viewed and downloaded by the investigator in real-time from the web application. Finally, investigators can distribute monetary incentives to participants at anytime either during the trial or upon completion.

Development Stage: MetricWire has developed the beta versions of the Web application and the Android and iOS smartphone applications. The beta versions of both the Android and iOS apps are currently in their respective app stores.