CLINICAL TRIALS DATA COLLECTION USING PALM COMPUTERS

We propose to develop a Clinical Trials Information System for mobile, low bandwidth, and weakly connected environments. The system will use handheld computers to collect data the patient bedside and conduct interviews in the filed. A two-way wireless network will validate data against a central repository in real time and allow clinicians to respond immediately to anomalies. The first phase of research consists of the following tasks. We will develop a handheld system for clinical data collection that is optimized for small displays. We will implement a protocol for mobile-aware data management using an N-tier network architecture. Finally, we will evaluate the prototype in a clinical setting for speed, accuracy, reliability, acceptability, and generalizability.