Software architecture and system for performing validated clinical studies of pharmaceutical related products

• US 7,669,114 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clinisys Incorporated (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Clynisys Incorporated
• Inventors: Wood, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ries; Laurie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US11/123,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20050210026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/221, 715/224, 715/225, 715/226, 715/229, 715/255, 715/256, 715/273, 715/700, 715/731, 715/736, 715/737, 715/738, 715/741, 715/742, 715/743, 715/760, 715/762, 705/3, 705/18, 705/50, 705/62, 705/64, 705/72, 705/76, 726/1, 726/2, 726/4, 726 26- 30, 713/176, 713/177, 713/179, 713/180
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Software, and a master system with hardware and connections, for validated drug clinical studies includes: creating data collection documents with unique identifiers; having operators complete security identification verification before proceeding; having secured operators fill out and sign specified data collection documents; creating permanent records of the preceding; tracking by unique identifiers in a local system; uploading to a central system; independently reviewing filled out signed data collection documents to accept or require clarifications; keeping permanent read only records of all originally filled out and signed documents; making document clarification requests; reviewing each response; assigning new unique identifier links to each version of every revision; iteratively repeating the above until the documents are clean, and storing and tracking every version of every document in the central system; providing a monitor query and document entry history of all changes to all documents to create a secured audit trail.

Claims

1. A system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products, which comprises:

at least one computer-readable storage medium;

software stored on said at least one computer-readable storage medium, said software being sufficient software to support the following steps;

(a) creating a plurality of data collection documents that includes a plurality of diverse types of data collection documents and a plurality of each diverse type of data collection document, wherein every individual data collection document is provided its own unique identifier;

(b) providing a local system with operator security by having all operators and other data collectors and data handlers, complete identification verification before being permitted to proceed to add information into said local system utilizing said plurality of data collection documents;

(c) having appropriate operators who have successfully completed operator security fill out and sign specified data collection documents for step (a) above, where required;

(d) creating a permanent record of all filled out and signed data collection documents from step (c) and organizing and tracking said filled out and signed documents by their unique identifiers in said local system;

(e) providing a central system functionally connected to said local system, and uploading said permanent record to said central system;

(f) independently reviewing the originally filled out and signed data collection documents to accept said documents as clean or to require clarifications, and keeping a permanent record of all originally filled out and signed documents, with no access for the operators to change or eliminate data;

(g) as to said documents requiring clarifications, making clarification requests to the appropriate operator, and procuring response therefrom;

(h) independently reviewing each response in the form of a revised document, assigning a new unique identifier link to each version of every revised document and every subsequent version thereof, and repeating step (f) above iteratively until said documents are clean, and storing and tracking every version of every document in said central system;

(i) procuring relevant external clinical documents where data were first recorded, said external clinical documents being selected from the group consisting of clinical notes, patient record form entries, laboratory results, and combinations thereof, having the operators input said external clinical documents into said local system;

(j) providing another level of independent data cleaning, source validation, reconciliation, identifications and storage through a monitor query system of communications between monitors and operators that includes the same procedures as set forth in steps (f), (g) and (h) above;

(k) providing a document entry history to the local system and the central system of all changes to all documents within said central system to create an audit trail;

(l) fully securing the audit trail as it is created so that it cannot ever be altered; and

,

(m) rendering the finished, clean, final version of each document, as fully secured document that is a read-only document.

2. The system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products of claim 1 wherein said step (k) includes a data-by-data point of entry history to create an audit trail for every point of data entry having revisions.

3. The system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products of claim 1 wherein said step (b) includes a two part security clearance that includes at least two different types of security clearance, at least one of which is selected from the group consisting of password, voice recognition, signature recognition, retina recognition, fingerprint recognition, facial maps, and combinations thereof.

4. The system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products of claim 1 wherein said unique identifier includes a unique bar code that is an encrypted bar code containing a plurality of document related information, two of said plurality of document information selected from the group consisting of title of study, site of study, operator, patient name, patient identification number, date, document version, interviewer, monitor, query number, and combinations thereof.

5. The system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products of claim 1 wherein said audit trail is a drop down window that is click accessed at each point of data entry having a history of at least one revision.

6. The system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products of claim 1 wherein said filled out and signed data collection documents are read by intelligent character recognition (ICR) for handwritten inputs and converted to digital representations for storage and retrieval.

7. The system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products of claim 6 wherein, if an entry cannot be read by ICR, it will be treated as not clean and processed in accordance with steps (f), (g) and (h) above.

8. The system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products of claim 1 wherein said software includes the use of digital signature technology to fully secure said documents wherein said documents cannot be altered without nullifying an attached digital signature.

9. The system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products of claim 8 wherein said fully secured documents are locked by appending a private key generated digital signature thereto, and an operator'"'"'s private key digital signature sign off creates said lock.

10. The system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products of claim 9 wherein said software also includes the steps of(n) presenting protocols and operating procedures to all local systems, and requiring all operators to review and sign off on some before being permitted to otherwise proceed on said local system.

11. A master system for performing validated clinical studies of drug-type products, which comprises:

A.) a central system connected to plurality of diversely located local systems, said central system including at least one host computer;

B.) a plurality of diversely located local system, each local system having at least one computer functionally connected to said central system at least one host computer; and

,

C.) sufficient software to support the following steps;

(a) creating a plurality of data collection documents that includes a plurality of diverse types of data collection documents and a plurality of each diverse type of data collection document, wherein every individual data collection document is provided its own unique identifier;

(b) providing a local system with operator security by having all operators and other data collectors and data handlers, complete identification verification before being permitted to proceed to add information into said local system utilizing said plurality of data collection documents;

(c) having appropriate operators who have successfully completed operator security fill out and sign specified data collection documents for step (a) above, where required;

(d) creating a permanent record of all filled out and signed data collection documents from step (c) and organizing and tracking said filled out and signed documents by their unique identifiers in said local system;

(e) providing a central system functionally connected to said local system, and uploading said permanent record to said central system;

(f) independently reviewing the originally filled out and signed data collection documents to accept said documents as clean or to require clarifications, and keeping a permanent record of all originally filled out and signed documents, with no access for the operators to change or eliminate data;

(g) as to said documents requiring clarifications, making clarification requests to the appropriate operator, and procuring response therefrom;

(h) independently reviewing each response in the form of a revised document, assigning a new unique identifier link to each version of every revised document and every subsequent version thereof, and repeating step (f) above iteratively until said documents are clean, and storing and tracking every version of every document in said central system;

(i) procuring relevant external clinical documents where data were first recorded, said external clinical documents being selected from the group consisting of clinical notes, patient record form entries, laboratory results, and combinations thereof, having the operators input said external clinical documents into said local system;

(j) providing another level of independent data cleaning, source validation, reconciliation, identifications and storage through a monitor query system of communications between monitors and operators that includes the same procedures as set forth in steps (f), (g) and (h) above;

(k) providing a document entry history to the local system and the central system of all changes to all documents within said central system to create an audit trail;

(l) fully securing the audit trail as it is created so that it cannot ever be altered; and

,

(m) rendering the finished, clean, final version of each document, as fully secured document that is a read-only document.

12. The master system of claim 11 wherein said step (k) includes a data-by-data point of entry history to create an audit trail for every point of data entry having revisions.

13. The master system of claim 11 wherein said step (b) includes a two part security clearance that includes at least two different types of security clearance, at least one of which is selected from the group consisting of password, voice recognition, signature recognition, retina recognition, fingerprint recognition, facial maps, and combinations thereof.

14. The master system of claim 11 wherein said unique identifier includes a unique bar code that is an encrypted bar code containing a plurality of document related information, two of said plurality of document information selected from the group consisting of title of study, site of study, operator, patient name, patient identification number, date, document version, interviewer, monitor, query number, and combinations thereof.

15. The master system of claim 11 wherein said audit trail is a drop down window that is click accessed at each point of data entry having a history of at least one revision.

16. The master system of claim 11 wherein said filled out and signed data collection documents are read by intelligent character recognition (ICR) for handwritten inputs and converted to digital representations for storage and retrieval.

17. The master system of claim 16 wherein, if an entry cannot be read by ICR, it will be treated as not clean and processed in accordance with steps (f), (g) and (h) above.

18. The master system of claim 11 wherein said software includes the use of digital signature technology to fully secure said documents wherein said documents cannot be altered without nullifying an attached digital signature.

19. The master system of claim 18 wherein said fully secured documents are locked by appending a private key generated digital signature thereto, and an operator'"'"'s private key digital signature sign off creates said lock.

20. The master system of claim 19 wherein said software also includes the steps of (n) presenting protocols and operating procedures to all local systems, and requiring all operators to review and sign off on some before being permitted to otherwise proceed on said local system.