Mobile applications for handheld devices to screen and randomize acute stroke patients in clinical trials

Abstract

The availability of internet connectivity and mobile application software used by low-power handheld devices makes smart phones of unique value in time-sensitive clinical trials. Trial-specific applications can be
downloaded by investigators from various mobile software distribution platforms or web applications
delivered over HTTP. The Antihypertensive Treatment in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage (ATACH) II investigators in collaboration with MentorMate released the ATACH-II Patient Recruitment mobile application
available on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry in 2011. The mobile application provides tools for prescreening, assessment of eligibility, and randomization of patients. Since the release of ATACH-II mobile
application, the CLEAR-IVH (Clot Lysis Evaluating Accelerated Resolution of Intraventricular Hemorrhage) trial investigators have also adopted such a mobile application. The video-conferencing capabilities
of the most recent mobile devices open up additional opportunities to involve central coordinating centers
in the recruitment process in real time.