IKNL Went from Fragmented Data to Better Oversight 

How do you maintain oversight when research teams work across locations, patients are treated in multiple hospitals, and your Clinical Trial Management System can’t keep up? IKNL saw their Excel spreadsheets on studies piling up. Since switching to ResearchManager, all information is now in one place. 

IKNL (Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation) is an independent knowledge institute for oncological and palliative care. Based in part on data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR), IKNL supports clinical trials in all Dutch hospitals that contribute to better diagnosis, treatment, and care for cancer patients. 

Limited Study Oversight 

To share reliable and independent insights on cancer, IKNL processes large volumes of data. But with their previous system, Trias, it became increasingly difficult to have all information available in one place. Karin Hummel, Registration Manager at IKNL, explains: “The trial landscape, study landscapes, the IKNL landscape, Trias couldn’t keep up. That system was mainly focused on patient management. If you wanted to know if a site was open, you couldn’t find that in Trias. People would start emailing each other instead.” 

Loose Excel Sheets 

Nothing was going wrong per se, but the situation created extra work. “We kept separate Excel sheets. As a result, the system was no longer our single source of truth. To be sure of the current status, multiple overviews were needed. And even then, you couldn’t be certain you had the same information as your colleague. Now, everything is visible in ResearchManager,” says Karin. 

Less Frustration, Better Communication 

In 2020, IKNL switched to the Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) and Visit Planning Tool from ResearchManager. The benefits of the new system are clearly noticeable. “What you agree upon in a study should be done properly, and for that, you need to have all your data in order. The system gives us insight into what needs to happen, who is involved, and what the current status is. Everything is interconnected, so knowing what’s happening across the board saves a lot of work and frustration. Now we’re all on the same page, because we’re using the same source,” says Karin. 

Full Management of the Research Process 

“Depending on what part of the study you want information on, you look in that part of the system. Everything we have gathered about a study is in the CTMS. Everyone can access it, our colleagues, local data managers, central data managers, and monitors. We use the Visit Planning Tool for patient-level information.” 

The CTMS from ResearchManager includes all the necessary features to efficiently manage every aspect of the research process. From selecting sites and drafting budgets to managing visits and generating reports. The Visit Planning Tool streamlines patient visits by providing date suggestions based on a schedule with various conditions, planning margins, protocols, and intervals, ensuring efficient scheduling aligned with desired timelines. 

Improving Step by Step Together 

IKNL isn’t yet using all the CTMS features. They deliberately chose a phased adoption. “I’m convinced we’re only using a small portion of what’s available in ResearchManager. As we go, we discover and test what we want. My colleagues now have the basics down and are ready for the next step. Our current focus is on improving management information and usability for data managers. Together with ResearchManager, we’re increasingly tailoring the functionalities to our organization.” 

Working Smarter All the Time 

Karin: “My colleagues continuously evaluate their processes: Can overviews and planning be easier? Can the work be done faster and smarter? More and more often, patients are being seen in multiple hospitals. How do we ensure that all our colleagues can see what’s happening, without having to close a study? These are the developments we’re working on now. We keep finding ways to make things easier, clearer, more accurate, and more complete together. That makes working on the trials enjoyable.” 

Free Demo 

Want to eliminate Excel sheets and miscommunication too? Discover how to manage studies more efficiently with our free demo.