March 27, 2024

In the dynamic environment of clinical trials, data originates from a wide array of sources—from Electronic Data Capture (EDC) systems and electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePRO) surveys to lab results, images, wearables, and electronic informed consent forms.

This diversity, particularly notable in decentralized trials, necessitates data availability across various systems, including Clinical Trial Management Systems (CTMS) and reporting and business insights tools. The challenge of integrating such disparate data sources underscores the essential role of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

The power of APIs (Applications and programming interfaces)

APIs are the backbone of modern software interoperability, enabling seamless communication and data exchange between different systems. With APIs, these systems can share data, ask each other questions, and perform actions without human help, making the entire process more efficient, accurate, and error-free. This means managing the mountains of data in a trial becomes much simpler and safer. 

Majd Mirza, Viedoc’s Chief Innovation Officer, explains the value of an API to all parties within a clinical trial: “Imagine an API as a helpful translator that not only lets different computer programs share information easily but also lets them do things on each other’s systems. For example, just like a user can ask a question or 'raise a query' in one system, an API allows another computer program to ask that system the same question automatically. This is handy in clinical trials, where you have lots of different systems needing to work together perfectly.” 

APIs are essential  because they allow developers to easily integrate existing services or functionality from other applications into their own applications without developing the service or functionality by themselves. APIs therefore increase development speed by not having to develop code from scratch. They also allow businesses to communicate with external entities or use third-party software easily.

Viedoc’s dedication to innovation 

With Viedoc's API, which is automatically included with a Viedoc license, we offer a solution that stands at the intersection of integration and innovation. 

The Viedoc API acts as a bridge, enabling easy data movement between the Viedoc EDC and other systems—whether importing lab data or exporting for backup purposes. It exposes all the Viedoc data export capabilities and offers flexible ways to ingest data into the EDC. It is designed with the right mix of flexibility and power to support the most demanding integrations, encouraging innovation by allowing our clients to tailor the platform to their specific challenges. This adaptability ensures our system can integrate into our client's existing processes and data workflows effortlessly, enhancing efficiencies within clinical trials without the need for a graphical user interface. 

Viedoc's API offers functionalities for more advanced operations, such as user and site management, allowing the EDC system to be seamlessly incorporated into broader workflows. “This not only saves significant time but also enhances data quality and integrity, providing a single source of truth for all trial data,” says Majd Mirza.  

By enabling such seamless integration and operational flexibility, Viedoc's API underscores the importance of APIs in the modern clinical trial landscape, demonstrating its critical role in simplifying complex processes and allowing our clients to focus on what truly matters: advancing medical research. 


Navigating APIs in the Clinical Trials Landscape

The critical function of APIs extends to facilitating seamless interaction between the myriad of applications used by stakeholders such as CROs, sponsors, and sites for various operational needs—from data entry and review to data cleaning and archival. This integration is pivotal for maintaining the integrity of trial data and operational efficiency, especially valuable for entities managing multiple trials simultaneously, as it ensures data consistency and reliability.

At Viedoc we are always improving our API to keep up with new tech and industry standards. Book a demo with us today to learn more about our eClinical solutions that could help solve some of the challenges you face in system integration and managing your trial data. 

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