High quality data collection is fundamental to successful clinical trials. Accurate data helps to optimise trial outcomes, improves safety for patients receiving new and potentially experimental therapies, and supports the development of treatments which will help many patients now and into the future.
Thanks to donations from the community, a state-of-the-art electrocardiograph (ECG) machine and vital signs monitor, have recently been purchased for St John of God Murdoch Hospital. This equipment will be dedicated to patients participating in ground-breaking oncology clinical trials conducted by researchers at St John of God Murdoch Hospital and across the globe.As an example, St John of God Murdoch Hospital was recently involved in a global trial of a cancer drug that can double the disease-free survival time in patients with oesophageal cancer. The drug, which is already approved for other cancers such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, melanoma and kidney cancer, gives hope for people with early-stage oesophageal cancer to be able to live cancer-free for longer. St John of God Murdoch Hospital’s Head of Cancer Services, Associate Professor Kynan Feeney, said it was hoped the drug would become the new standard of care.
With the new donor-funded equipment, researchers like A/Prof. Feeney and his team will be able to ensure consistency of data collection, and adherence to the often strict time points required for clinical trials. Patients’ records can also be stored on the devices, allowing real-time monitoring for any trends or changes in their health, so that caregivers can optimise the care they provide whilst the patients are participating in clinical research.
The new equipment will also broaden the scope of clinical trials offered at St John of God Murdoch Hospital, providing patients with access to new and innovative treatments that otherwise would not have been available.
On behalf of patients, researchers and caregivers at St John of God Murdoch Hospital, thank you to our amazing community for making safe and innovative research a reality.