[Possibility of Using Smartphones to Collect Information on Food Preference in Clinical Trials]

The widespread adoption of smartphones due to advances in information and communication technology(ICT)has enabled the use of software for data collection in clinical trials. In March 2021, revisions to the"Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Biological Research Involving Human Subjects"expanded the methods for obtaining consent using electronic means, further broadening the approaches to conducting clinical trials. However, nutrition impact symptoms in cancer patients remain inadequately defined. The authors aim to define these symptoms through the WASHOKU trial, utilizing smartphones for data collection related to nutrition. Through the WASHOKU trial, many challenges such as patient awareness, recruitment for research, smartphone ownership rates, and the technical proficiency of patients and users utilizing digital devices have come to light. Such trials serve as litmus tests, raising expectations for further clinical trials leveraging ICT.