64 Requests from 20 Cancer Centers Incorporated into the Latest Release of Oncore(R).
(PRWEB) July 20, 2007 -- The newest version of Oncore, released on July 2nd, represents the institutional priorities of 20 cancer centers, and includes three, new modules.
Since 2001, through active collaboration with renowned cancer centers, Oncore has kept pace with evolving regulatory priorities and the collective requirements of these centers. By addressing this Unity in Diversity, Oncore has become the most comprehensive clinical research and biorepository management system that is available in the marketplace today.
As great as this might sound, institutions still have individual priorities which may or may not coincide with the collective priorities. To address this aspect of Diversity in Unity, earlier this year, each of the 20 Oncore centers was requested to present up to five enhancement suggestions, known as their "Top 5." Each of these requests were elaborated, evaluated, and prioritized in collaboration with the respective cancer centers.
"For us, the notion of Unity in Diversity has always meant that, in addition to tracking regulations and the collective needs of all centers, we must also ensure that Oncore addresses workflow-related nuances and other critical needs that may be unique to a specific institution," says Srini Kalluri, president and CEO of PercipEnz Technologies, makers of Oncore.
The result is that 64 of the 109 enhancements that were incorporated in Oncore 7.0 came from the "Top 5" lists of the Oncore centers.
With the release of version 7.0, the Oncore platform has increased the ability for institutions to streamline their operations, to improve inter-departmental and inter-institutional communication and collaboration, and to decrease demands on staff time and resources.
"We reached a point with the last version where Oncore was addressing the entire lifecycle of clinical trials from pre-activation through study closure. With version 7.0, we were able to extend the value of the Oncore database beyond the traditional boundaries of the cancer center," says Tony O'Hare, chief scientific officer of PercipEnz.
Key enhancements of Oncore 7.0:
- A fully integrated custom reporting environment that utilizes the Oncore security framework.
- A new screening database that allows better tracking and assists in enhancing accruals.
- A new flow chart representation of available trials for the benefit of referring physicians.
- Multiple versions of protocol calendars to support protocol amendments.
- Electronic signatures in the ePRMS module to eliminate signature pages.
Integrated Custom Reporting through JasperReports:
A special interface was developed for uploading custom report definition files. These custom reports can be created using a report writing application such as iReport. Additionally, the new interface can be used to export report definitions from Oncore which can then be shared with other cancer centers that use the platform.
Screening Database:
A new screening database module was developed to provide cancer centers with a simple mechanism to evaluate their screening efforts. Using this module, the centers track information about the screening process which allows them to gauge the effectiveness of various referral channels and track staff time spent on screening.
Flow Charts:
To assist cancer centers with their accrual goals, a new flow chart representation of available trials was developed. Inspired by the graphical representation used by the Vanderbilt - Ingram Cancer Center, these flow charts are generated automatically within Oncore based on a simple hierarchy that is set up ahead of time. The flow charts are accessible via the Study Information Portal in Oncore for display on a cancer center's public website. Designed primarily to assist referring physicians, these flow charts may also aid potential subjects searching for available trials. (For more information, refer to: Finding Ways to Augment Accrual, an article in the Winter 2006 Onsemble Notes newsletter.)
Version Control of Specifications/Calendars:
An important enhancement to the flexibility of protocol specifications comes with the new ability within Oncore to allow multiple versions of protocol calendars. This new feature handles changes due to protocol amendments that may or may not affect subjects who are already on treatment. Treating staff now have the flexibility to choose between multiple calendar versions for subjects based on what is appropriate given various factors. The feature also provides flexibility for any time lag between the actual subject visit and the time that data is being entered in the system.
Electronic Signatures:
The new electronic signature feature in the ePRMS module eliminates the need for scientific review committee staff to obtain signatures on paper signoff sheets. Centers can elect to require all signatures to be electronic or to use a hybrid system with some signatures accepted in paper form. The new feature incorporates automatic email notifications and reminders for people who must sign new protocol submissions. For security, Oncore can manage user authentication internally or may be integrated with a cancer center's single sign-on technology utilizing a local, centralized authentication service.
About the Oncore People:
PercipEnz Technologies, Inc. is a computer software company that develops and markets specialized, enterprise-class clinical research and biospecimen management systems.
PercipEnz broke new ground with its collaborative product development process. Working with select groups of product users, PercipEnz begins every phase of product development by clarifying the underlying challenges being addressed.
The company is host to Onsemble(R), a community comprised of administrators, researchers, biostatisticians, research assistants, database administrators, and other staff from research facilities around the country.
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