IT & AI Can Help Us Deliver Commercial Research at Scale
How IT and AI Can Help Us Deliver Commercial Research at Scale in Primary Care
If we want to grow commercial research in primary care, our digital systems have to catch up. We’ve already talked about new workforce and site models — mobile teams, shared hubs, flexible sites — but those ideas only work if the tech supports them.
1️⃣ Smarter data to find the right patients
Too much time is still spent running separate searches at each site. We need federated or cross-organisation tools that can find eligible patients across a network in one go — securely and consistently. AI can then take this further, scanning coded data (and even free text) to flag likely candidates, or surfacing prompts just in time during consultations.
2️⃣ In-consultation prompts and data quality
AI could quietly improve data quality and research recruitment at the same time:
“This patient might meet inclusion criteria for the diabetes study — recent HbA1c > 58 and on metformin only.”
It helps clinicians spot opportunities without extra admin — and builds richer real-world data.
3️⃣ Streamlining the paperwork
Imagine e-worksheets that pre-populate from the record and feed directly into the sponsor’s EDC. No re-keying, no missing fields, fewer errors. The same goes for delegation logs and screening forms — all digital, all traceable.
4️⃣ Smarter IMP and logistics management
A shared digital inventory could track where every vial or kit is, temperature included, across a network. That enables “just-in-time” delivery — matching supply to actual demand and reducing waste.
5️⃣ Safe remote access for PIC and satellite sites
Controlled, read-only access or blinded data views would let support sites contribute without compromising privacy or GCP compliance. It’s the key to true scalability.
AI and IT won’t replace good people or relationships — but they can give us the visibility, speed, and consistency we need to deliver at scale. If we get this right, digital stops being the paperwork after the work — and becomes the thing that makes the work possible.