Q&A with Dr. Nir Horesh

Determining feasibility of a study with instant access to data while saving time, resources, and costs.

“We’ve saved so much time in not having to request approval and that alone has made things very easy for us.”

— DR. NIR HORESH, SHEBA MEDICAL CENTER

Q: HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT MDCLONE?

I first heard about the MDClone platform in a presentation when the system was introduced to our medical center. I was impressed with the potential of this tool to help clinicians gather, cross-reference different aspects, and evaluate the data instantly.

Q: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN USING MDCLONE?

I have been using MDClone for more than two years, with growing interest among my colleagues as time progresses.

Q: WHAT HAS MDCLONE ENABLED YOU TO DO?

I’ve been using the MDClone platform in our hospital for a few years now. It has made things very easy to rule out or rule in projects we think there might be some interest in. It enables us to see the size of the cohorts and the size of the sample size of patients in the subjects.

Q: BEFORE MDCLONE HOW DID YOU ACCESS YOUR HEALTHCARE DATA?

Before using MDClone, if I wanted to check whether a study is feasible or not, I had to write an IRB and submit for approval. Usually, it takes a couple of months before we get approval and only after that, will we be able to have access to the data from the hospital medical record. And sometimes, we don’t find anything that suits us as far as the sample size.

“MDClone really, really makes access to data easy.”

Q: HOW DID MDCLONE IMPROVE ACCESS TO YOUR DATA?

MDClone really, really makes access to data easy. One of the things that wasn’t really possible before, was the ability to interact between several diagnoses and procedures. Now, we can reassess the sample size and see what the percentage is, for instance, readmissions that we have after a certain type of surgery, which wasn’t really possible before. The only way to do this was if we specifically wrote an IRB and then we got access to the medical records. We’ve saved so much time in not having to request approval and that alone has made things very easy for us.

Q: WHAT VALUE HAS IT BROUGHT TO YOU AS A PHYSICIAN?

What I like most, and which also serves us the most, is the feature where you can actually see (when you put in the reference event) the number of patients that have that diagnosis or procedure, and within a second, I can ask the question I want to ask, see how many patients I have, and immediately decide whether I want to continue with the study or not.

Now, when there’s a new idea about a subject or something we want to study, we know it takes a lot of time for something like that to mature, but with MDClone it’s really easy to see if we have enough data, and it kind of gives us to go ahead to advance with it.

“MDClone can actually save months of work because it enables a quick search into patients’ data that can give a researcher a sense of the sample size which allows an easy estimation of the study aim.”

Q: WHAT TIME SAVINGS HAVE YOU REALIZED?

MDClone can actually save months of work because it enables a quick search into patients’ data that can give a researcher a sense of the sample size which allows an easy estimation of the study aim. Also, MDClone saves a lot of time gathering basic information including demographics, laboratory examinations, and clinical and operative data. In addition, the possibility to cross-reference one study population with another is also an important tool that can potentially save a lot of time.

KEY TAKEAWAY:

MDClone is a great tool for healthcare personnel involved in clinical research. The system is easy to use and the ongoing improvements by the company as well as the support make MDClone an excellent choice for anyone conducting clinical research.

ABOUT SHEBA MEDICAL CENTER

Established in 1948, Sheba Medical Center is now the leading medical center in the Middle East and an internationally recognized healthcare facility. In 2019, Newsweek magazine ranked Sheba on their prestigious list of the top ten hospitals worldwide. Located on a comprehensive campus, Sheba offers a wide range of medical divisions and specialties. Our highly qualified doctors are involved in many innovative treatments and cutting-edge research programs to advance the clinical care of patients everywhere. Sheba also functions as a tertiary care center and accepts referrals of complex cases from throughout the region and the world.