Automating Clinical Trial Data Collection to Improve Data Quality: The SWOG–nCartes Collaboration
Presented at the 2026 Society for Clinical Trials Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, this poster highlights a multi-year collaboration between the SWOG Cancer Research Network and nCoup to improve clinical trial data collection through the use of nCartes, a cloud-based platform that automates the transfer of data from electronic medical records (EMRs) to clinical research databases. By reducing the need for manual data entry and transcription, the system aims to improve data quality, lower administrative burden, and increase efficiency at participating research sites.
The presentation presents results from SWOG’s evaluation of nCartes in the S1803 (DRAMMATIC) multicenter myeloma trial. Across seven sites, 81 participants, and 3,300 queries, implementation of nCartes was associated with substantial reductions in data query rates—a key indicator of data quality—including near-elimination of queries involving structured data. The findings suggest that automated data transfer can significantly reduce errors, save staff time, and support the delivery of higher-quality clinical trial datasets. SWOG and nCartes are continuing to expand automation capabilities and evaluate these benefits across additional studies.