4 Ways to Prevent Your Paper & E-Requisition Forms from Being a Source of Inefficiency

Requisition forms have long been considered essential for transmitting vital sample metadata between research sites, labs, and eventually sponsors. Without this data, labs can’t report results, sponsors can’t defend the integrity of their samples, and studies can’t proceed with critical milestones like interim analyses and database locks. What’s more, much of the data captured on requisition forms is key to gaining invaluable insights that can be harnessed to drive critical study decisions — from addressing site performance issues to implementing necessary amendments.

Even so, it’s no secret that both paper requisitions and their digital counterparts often contribute to inefficiencies that can hinder smooth study execution. Missing data, discrepancies, queries, and manual data capture cause headaches for many study stakeholders, and they can put trial timelines and outcomes at risk.

As biospecimen management continues to become even more complex, it's crucial for sponsors to address these core inefficiencies head-on. Let's explore four actionable strategies that can transform your requisition processes, streamlining operations and enhancing data quality across the biospecimen lifecycle.

Eliminate legibility issues and incomplete data that are inherent to paper requisitions

One of the most persistent challenges with paper requisitions is the age-old problem of illegibility and incomplete information. Handwritten forms are notoriously prone to misinterpretation, leading to downstream errors and time-consuming queries. This, coupled with incomplete forms with blank fields, can cause significant delays and compromise data integrity.

To tackle this issue, sponsors should consider:

• Implementing digital data capture solutions that eliminate handwriting altogether
• Utilizing workflows with built-in guardrails to prevent incomplete submissions
• Surface data to study stakeholders in real time to catch errors quickly

By addressing these fundamental issues, sponsors can significantly reduce transcription errors and ensure that every piece of critical information is captured accurately and completely.

Eradicate data entry delays commonly associated with lab-specific e-requisitions

Lab-specific e-requisition portals, while an improvement over paper forms, often introduce their own set of delays. Data entry can lag due to low site adoption of lab e-requisitions and site burnout with lab technology, creating a bottleneck in the information flow between sites and labs.

To streamline this process, sponsors can:

• Implement vendor-agnostic solutions that capture data in real-time as sites perform sample management activities across all of your labs 
• Utilize flexible site workflows that facilitate immediate data entry at the point of collection or within hours collection
• Flag missing data entries in near real-time to prompt timely completion
• Integrate with labs for instant synchronization of sample metadata

By prioritizing site enablement and fine-tuning sample metadata capture and transmission, you can ensure that all stakeholders have access to up-to-date information, enabling faster decision-making and reducing the risk of delays caused by slower data access.

Remove duplicative data entry that contributes to discrepancies

One of the most significant inefficiencies in current requisition processes is the inherent need for duplicative data entry. Not only do sites have to manually record sample metadata across multiple requisition forms and the EDC, but in the case of paper requisitions each lab must manually enter information into their respective databases. This redundancy not only wastes valuable time, but also increases the likelihood of discrepancies between different systems.

To eliminate this redundancy, sponsors should:

• Implement a single point of data entry that automatically populates all necessary systems
• Utilize API integrations to ensure seamless data flow between sites, EDC systems, and LIMS
• Employ data standardization to ensure consistency across different platforms

By creating a unified data entry process, sponsors can significantly reduce the risk of discrepancies and free up valuable time for study stakeholders to focus on more critical tasks.

Synchronize sample management processes

Effective biospecimen management requires more than just accurate sample metadata capture. It also demands a holistic approach that synchronizes kit inventory, sample metadata, and shipping processes across all of your sites and labs

To achieve this synchronization:

• Implement a centralized system that tracks kit inventory in real-time across all sites
• Utilize courier integrations and bidirectional lab integrations to automate sample tracking throughout the biospecimen lifecycle
• Employ more precise data-driven resupply that factors in inventory quantities, expiration dates, and patient demand to optimize kit distribution and prevent stockouts

By orchestrating these elements in harmony, you can ensure that the right supplies are always available, samples are tracked with precision, and shipping processes are streamlined for maximum efficiency.

It’s time to embrace the future of biospecimen management

As we've explored, improving requisition form processes is about more than just digitizing paper forms. It's about reimagining the entire workflow to enable more efficient and accurate sample metadata capture while facilitating real-time, bidirectional data exchange between sites and labs.

Slope's Biospecimen360™ software offers a revolutionary approach to this challenge. As a lab-agnostic solution, it automatically captures pertinent sample metadata through flexible, intuitive guided sample management workflows. This data is then seamlessly synchronized with labs and EDC systems through robust integrations, encompassing all sample and subject metadata, as well as comprehensive kit and bulk supply inventory control.

While Biospecimen360™ can still work with the requisition forms that may be mandated by labs, it can also eliminate the need for both paper requisitions and e-requisitions altogether, addressing their inherent limitations and inefficiencies. By integrating sample metadata capture for sponsors and labs into research site workflows, it standardizes the capture of sample metadata across all labs, reduces errors and discrepancies, and minimizes the data entry burden on sites. 

By embracing such innovative solutions, sponsors can not only address the inefficiencies of traditional requisition forms but also set new standards for data integrity and operational excellence in clinical trials. Biospecimen360™ offers enhanced sponsor and CRO oversight and decision-making capabilities, leading to shortened timelines for critical milestones due to query reduction and faster lab processing.

Ready to revolutionize your biospecimen management process? Learn more about how Slope and LabConnect are setting new industry standards with their groundbreaking bidirectional API integration. Click here to read the full press release and discover how this first-of-its-kind integration is transforming clinical trials.