# Decentralized Clinical Trials: From On-Site to Online Discover how a global healthcare organization monitored 15,000+ patients in a decentralized clinical trial and reduced travel emissions by 73% using MEDIDATA on the **3D**EXPERIENCE platform. How One Healthcare Organization Conducted A Clinical Trial And Reduced Emissions Is it possible to monitor over 15,000 patients in a clinical trial while reducing greenhouse gas emissions? One organization achieved it, and Dassault Systèmes helped make it happen. Centralized vs. Decentralized Clinical Trials: Why the Healthcare Sector Is Shifting The healthcare sector is undergoing a transformative decarbonization process in every aspect of its operations. One key pillar of this sector involves clinical trials, where hundreds (if not thousands) of participants are monitored and tracked over a specific time period. Clinical trials require tremendous resources. In addition to the online systems needed to keep track of sensitive medical information, there are also stumbling blocks inherent to such an exercise — excessive on-site visits for participants and extensive travel times. Is it possible to streamline this process? A global medical organization looked for a way to eliminate these stumbling blocks as it embarked on one of its largest clinical trials to date — tracking and monitoring the progress of more than 15,000 participants over a period of more than two years. Decentralized Trial Platform as a Sustainability Solution While looking for a solution, the organization recognized the potential to solve an even bigger challenge. By deploying a digital solution to enable decentralized clinical trials (DCT), the organization could **reduce greenhouse gas emissions** through a reduction of on-site visits and travel for participants. Discover how this organization implemented a more sustainable methodology for clinical trials, powered by Dassault Systèmes' innovative solutions. About the Customer ***Use Case:*** The implementation of MEDIDATA on the **3D**EXPERIENCE® platform enabled over 15,000 clinical trial patients to make only one on-site follow-up visit instead of seven visits during the course of the trial. This greatly reduced the travel requirements of the patients, leading to significant emission reductions. Industry Life sciences & healthcare Company size Approx. 26,000 full-time employees Location United States The Challenge The customer's key challenges stemmed directly from its: 1. **Business Needs** To track and monitor the progress of over 15,000 participants in a clinical trial while reducing greenhouse gas emissions 2. **Operational Requirements** A digital solution to enable DCT that can reduce emissions by minimizing on-site visits and travel for participants [DCT Challenge](/media/24961) The Solution By adopting its DCT solution on the **3D**EXPERIENCE platform, Dassault Systèmes helped the company achieve its objective of reducing its environmental footprint. [Sustainability Loop DCT](/media/24945) The Outcome The clinical team tracked and monitored over 15,000 patients through MEDIDATA for the entire duration of the trial. MEDIDATA allowed the clinical team to interact with the patients and collect all relevant data, preserving data quality. By implementing a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, patients used their own mobile devices — smartphones, tablets and computers — to upload the necessary medical data onto the platform without compromising the user experience. [DCT Solution and Outcome](/media/24960) The implementation of MEDIDATA reduced on-site visits for the patients. As a result, they required only one on-site follow-up visit instead of seven during the entire 26-month trial. The virtual nature of the study also allowed patient representation to be more inclusive, allowing individuals who wouldn't normally participate in clinical trials because of location or convenience to become part of the study. [DCT Outcome](/media/24959) The End Result 7,598,304 km total travel distance reduced ![](https://www.3ds.com/assets/invest/2026-05/icon-390-public-transportation-blue-rvb.png) 219,000 patient hours saved ![](https://www.3ds.com/assets/invest/2026-05/icon-078a-reduce-time-blue-rvb.png) 73% reduction in emissions ![](https://www.3ds.com/assets/invest/2026-03/icon-093-refresh-blue-rvb.png) Decentralized clinical trials remove geographic barriers for patients, reducing travel and carbon emissions while improving engagement and the overall study experience. Senior Vice President Methods The avoided emission estimation was estimated following the: - EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044 and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines - Methodology based on the comparison of two scenarios for one given functional unit (ISO 14067:2018 and ISO 14064-2:2019) Dassault Systèmes' methodology has been certified by an independent third party and elaborated in compliance with the EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044 and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines. The end result expressed in tCO2e remains an estimation. Measuring the Sustainability Benefits of Our Solutions Discover how we accurately quantify the sustainability benefits of our solutions for customers, using a certified methodology. Through real-world use cases, see how we support organizations in their sustainability transition, delivering tangible, measurable results. [Measuring the Sustainability Benefits of Our Solutions](/media/24468) [ Learn more ](/sustainability/measurable-sustainability-benefits) Frequently Asked Questions What are the benefits of decentralized clinical trials? Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) are [transforming patient experience](/industries/life-sciences-healthcare/pharmaceutical-and-biotech "Pharmaceutical and Biotech") by eliminating one of the most persistent barriers to participation: geography. By reducing on-site visits, DCTs lower travel burdens, cut carbon emissions, and free up significant time for patients. This shift also improves inclusivity - individuals who would not normally participate due to location, mobility limitations, or transportation barriers can now join studies from home, broadening the diversity and representativeness of clinical research. For sponsors and clinical teams, the benefits extend well beyond logistics. Remote monitoring and digital health technologies simplify [clinical data management](https://www.medidata.com/en/life-science-resources/medidata-blog/modernizing-clinical-data-management-and-capture/), allowing study teams to collect, track, and validate patient data in real time without compromising quality or integrity. Decentralization also [reduces the impact on clinical data management workflows](https://www.medidata.com/en/life-science-resources/medidata-blog/decentralized-clinical-trial-impact-on-clinical-data-management/) by streamlining remote data capture and reducing reliance on paper-based or site-dependent processes. The result: lower costs associated with on-site clinical staff and infrastructure, with no sacrifice to timelines or oversight rigor. Dassault Systèmes supports this evolution with [life sciences manufacturing and healthcare solutions](/products/delmia/life-sciences-healthcare "DELMIA Life Sciences & Healthcare Solutions") that help organizations design, deploy, and scale decentralized trial models with confidence. What role does the FDA play in personalized healthcare? The FDA plays a central role in shaping how [personalized healthcare](/products/delmia/life-sciences-healthcare "DELMIA Life Sciences & Healthcare Solutions") is designed, validated, and delivered, particularly as clinical research evolves toward more patient-centric, decentralized models. The agency provides regulatory guidance covering decentralized trial design, remote trial visits, digital health technologies, informed consent, and institutional review board (IRB) oversight, giving organizations a framework to innovate while maintaining compliance. Importantly, the FDA is moving away from rigid trial classifications, such as "DCT" or "hybrid DCT" as discrete categories and instead focusing on the specific elements of decentralization that matter most for patient safety and data integrity. This shift reflects a broader regulatory acknowledgment that flexible, technology-enabled trial models are becoming the standard rather than the exception. Pharmaceutical traceability is another area where the FDA's guidance is critical. Ensuring that drugs, devices, and patient data remain fully traceable throughout a decentralized trial is essential for meeting regulatory standards and protecting participants. As trials grow in scale and complexity, robust traceability systems become foundational to maintaining both compliance and patient trust. How can AI and virtual twins accelerate clinical trials? AI and virtual twins represent a defining moment in [healthcare evolution](https://www.medidata.com/en/life-science-resources/medidata-blog/virtual-twins/) - one that is fundamentally changing how clinical trials are designed, run, and scaled. By creating dynamic digital replicas of patients, organs, or biological systems, virtual twins enable researchers to model disease progression, predict treatment responses, and identify risks before a single real-world intervention takes place. At the core of this acceleration is the power of [simulation](/products/simulia/life-sciences-healthcare/living-heart-model "Living Heart Model") and modeling. Rather than relying solely on large patient cohorts to generate statistically significant data, clinical teams can use virtual environments to run thousands of scenario permutations rapidly, compressing timelines that would otherwise take years. Dassault Systèmes' Living Heart Model is one example of how high-fidelity simulation is already being applied in life sciences to replicate cardiovascular behavior and evaluate medical device performance with precision. These capabilities directly enable more cost-effective trials by reducing the number of physical trial phases required, minimizing adverse event risks through pre-trial virtual screening, and optimizing protocol design before recruitment even begins. The result is leaner, faster, and safer research. Looking ahead, the [virtual future](https://www.medidata.com/en/life-science-resources/medidata-blog/virtual-twins/) of clinical research will increasingly combine AI-driven predictive analytics with virtual twin infrastructure, shifting the industry from reactive data collection to proactive, intelligent trial design. How do decentralized clinical trials reduce environmental impact? Decentralized clinical trials are emerging as a powerful lever within a broader [circular healthcare framework](/sustainability/business-biodiversity/circularity-biodiversity "Biodiversity Through Circularity: Uniting Business and Nature") - one that seeks to reduce waste, minimize resource consumption, and align healthcare operations with planetary boundaries. At the most direct level, DCTs significantly reduce transportation-related carbon emissions by minimizing on-site visits and the patient travel that comes with them. In practice, this is enabled by policies such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), which allows patients to use their own smartphones, tablets, or computers to upload medical data remotely, eliminating the need for repeated trips to clinical trial sites. The environmental gains are tangible: in one case enabled by MEDIDATA on the **3D**EXPERIENCE® platform, over 7.5 million kilometers of travel were avoided across 15,000+ patients, resulting in a 73% reduction in emissions. The environmental case for DCTs also intersects with the [economic and regulatory landscape](/sustainability/business-biodiversity/circularity-biodiversity "Biodiversity Through Circularity: Uniting Business and Nature") shaping life sciences today. Regulators and investors alike are increasingly scrutinizing the sustainability credentials of clinical operations, making emission reduction not just an ethical imperative but a compliance and competitive one. Beyond trials themselves, the principles behind DCT design are informing the development of circular medical devices - hardware and technology ecosystems built for longevity, reuse, and minimal environmental footprint, signaling that sustainability is becoming embedded across the full clinical research value chain. Sources 1*Emissions avoided/reduced have been estimated following EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044 and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines. Dassault Systèmes' approach and calculations, along with the allocated contribution of the software have been certified by an independent third party. External View URD 2023, Chapter 2.* Related Content Regulatory Compliance Drive profitability and meet consumer demands while ensuring regulatory compliance with the **3D**EXPERIENCE® platform. [Discover](/industries/consumer-packaged-goods-retail/regulatory-compliance) Decarbonizing Industry Operations Decarbonizing industry operations is key to achieving net-zero emissions. Learn how Dassault Systèmes is innovating for a sustainable future. [Learn more](/sustainability/decarbonization/decarbonizing-industry-operations) Circular Economy How circular economy practices can help your business dare to be bold through new business models that preserve the environment for future generations. [Discover](/sustainability/circular-economy) Circularity in Action It’s time for concerted action. Here’s how to make the circular economy achievable, scalable and profitable. [Learn more](/sustainability/circular-economy/circularity-action) ![""](https://www.3ds.com/assets/invest/2026-05/decentralized-clinical-trial-hero-banner.jpg) Decentralized Clinical Trials