REMOTECH
Remote Technologies for Research Reference Center
The Remote Technologies for Research Reference Center, or REMOTECH, helps researchers incorporate remote technology into their studies. Remote technologies are defined as any tool or mechanism a researcher might use with a study participant that does not require the study team and participant to be in the same physical location at the same time or that requires the participant to be in a medical facility.
Taking into consideration the non-scientific aspects of their use (cost, regulatory, legal, billing, access, reliability, and participant acceptance), REMOTECH is assessing these technologies and sharing our findings in the REMOTECH Knowledge Center.
REMOTECH provides current best practices and considerations for implementing remote technology in research and shares it in the REMOTECH Knowledge Center.
The REMOTECH Knowledge Center
The REMOTECH Knowledge Center (RKC) is a comprehensive, self-service library containing information on remote technologies. The RKC and its core working groups have several functions:
- To gather and display remote technologies information based upon the common needs of researchers
- To develop a classification system for remote devices and activities
- To provide best practices and specific implementation guidance
- To provide a clearing house for case studies, trainings, and publications related to the use of remote technologies in research
The aim is to not only provide a searchable database of technology, but to also include any metadata on remote technologies to help better serve the investigator in any decision making.
The Need for Remote Technology and REMOTECH
Remote technologies can help investigators meet recruitment goals.
Remote research can allow representation based on portions of patients with a condition vs portion of patients living in the area. Remote technologies can help investigators improve their chances of meeting recruitment goals.
Remote technologies can help bring research to the people.
Clinical research is often only available through academic medical centers in urban areas so opportunities to participate in research are limited for people with transportation challenges and those living at a distance from these medical centers. Rural health disparities are growing, with mortality rates improving more slowly in rural areas compared to urban areas. Factors that contribute to rural/urban health disparities such as geographic isolation, lack of community health services, and lack of access to reliable transportation also limit rural residents’ access to clinical research. Remote technologies can help bring research to the people.
In the face of global health emergencies, remote technologies can help research move forward.
Among 86 University of Washington, Seattle Children’s, and Fred Hutch investigators responding to a survey, 71% had to halt enrollment in a clinical trial due to COVID-related restrictions, and over half had to temporarily stop study assessments for active participants. The virtual approaches used during the pandemic overcame many recruitment challenges and trial pauses induced by restrictions on in-person research visits. However, these were intended as a stopgap measure. In the face of the continuing pandemic and the possibility of other global health emergencies, remote technologies will help research move forward while keeping investigators and participants safe.
REMOTECH will provide the guidance and information investigators need to use emerging technologies.
The need for remote technologies is clear, but University of Washington, Seattle Children’s and other research institutions throughout the region lack a central resource to guide investigators through selecting and using remote study tools. Without careful consideration of the technical, social, behavioral, legal, and ethical issues of deploying remote technologies, researchers may fail to address—and may even increase—disparities in research access. REMOTECH will provide the guidance and information investigators need to help promote the efficient and equitable use of these emerging technologies.
REMOTECH Team & Contributors
The REMOTECH team is an interdisciplinary group of clinical trial experts who are advocates for the continued, deliberate and expansive use of remote technologies in human subjects research. Expertise represented by the staff and faculty on the team includes human subjects protection, research contracts and agreements, budget and billing, research IT, bioinformatics, biostatistics, bioethics, participant recruitment & retention, and research coordination.
The members of the REMOTECH team all share the goal of providing solutions that will allow research teams to confidently open hybrid and fully remote studies throughout Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Liability Statements
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