Online Platform for Clinical Studies in Oncology

Key Contextual Factors

• A resolution of the Oncology Advisory Board of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection set to establish a national information centre for clinical studies in oncology (offering online information about the Eudra-CT-database and answering queries on the search for studies).
• The Oncology Advisory Board is an independent body operating on a voluntary basis which advises the Minister of Health on all matters of oncology.
• Target groups for the platform are oncologists and researchers in the field of oncology, but citizens and patients can also benefit concerning increasing their health literacy and empowerment.
• The platform takes advantages of synergies (e.g. information for citizens on the health care system, health information – also on the subject of cancer) and draws on the existing infrastructure and awareness of the official Austrian Health Portal.

Key Components/Steps

• To optimize the visibility of this information source and to take account of the fact that the internet is an essential source of information, the information centre was adapted and integrated into an online platform.
• The national information centre for clinical studies in oncology was established as a pilot project from June 2016 to June 2017.
• The online platform was created and tested before launch in May 2018.
• The online platform continues to evolve according to the needs of users.
• The online platform is managed by a medical doctor from the Austrian National Public Health Institute on behalf of the Ministry of Health.
• The ongoing support of the online platform includes regular quality assurance/updating as well as the expansion of the contents, ongoing search engine optimization and the answering of queries.

Main Impacts / Added Value

• The platform should make it easier for oncologists together with their patients to find a suitable clinical study if necessary.
• The platform offers a self-service tool in the form of collected information about clinical studies in oncology as well as a possible contact point as a hub for questions via the national information centre for clinical studies in oncology.
• By offering factsheets in the general section of the official Austrian Health Portal, patients and the general population can also be informed on the subject of clinical studies and oncology to support an expansion of health literacy and empowerment.
• The contents of the online platform in the professional section of the official Austrian Health Portal offers (1) information on databases/research networks for finding studies; (2) a congress calendar and further training opportunities; (3) a collection of links concerning professional societies, authorities, etc.; and (4) information on the national information centre for clinical studies (tasks: mainly support and maintenance of the online platform, FAQs, contact options).
• Web analytics show that user numbers have increased significantly since 2018.

Lessons Learned

• In order to be easily found, web-based information needs to be highly ranked in search engines, especially Google, requiring professional search engine optimization (SEO).
• Using a national health portal, which already has a high number of users and is a guide through the health system (including access to the electronic health record) is a key success factor for the visibility of the platform on the internet.
• Using synergies (e.g. content related) and existing infrastructures helps cope with limited resources.
• Web analytics are important to assess at regular intervals to guide ongoing development of the platform.
• Since written enquiries are received at irregular intervals, but the number of users is increasing steadily, a "self-service function" of the online platform should be given even greater emphasis.

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