Q&A: The Importance Of Compliance Programs Like SOC 2

Automation in clinical trials uses technology to handle tasks without human intervention, improving efficiency, reducing errors, and freeing staff to focus on more complex responsibilities. Clinical trials involve a wide range of administrative duties, including protocol development, budgeting and invoicing, site management, patient recruitment and retention, ethics review, monitoring, data management, and trial closeout. The complexity of these tasks grows with the scale and design of the study, highlighting the need for integrated solutions.

Current efforts focus on patient- and site-centered services, including travel coordination, stipends, reimbursements, and single points of contact to guide participants through every stage of the trial. Financial workflows, such as budgeting, contracting, invoice approvals, and real-time reporting, are also being automated to ensure timely, accurate payments for patients, sites, and suppliers. By connecting supplier networks, service delivery, and financial processes, clinical trial operations become more efficient, transparent, and manageable, while real-time data tracking and forecasting provide insights for better resource planning and operational oversight.