A novel clinical trials search tool with iterative and geospatial capabilities

ClinicalTrials.gov serves as a key resource for information on ongoing and completed clinical trials. To advance equitable promotion and broaden access, the Clinical Trials Search Tool (CTST) was developed to build on ClinicalTrials.gov data, offering a more comprehensive index with user-friendly geospatial, demographic, and socioeconomic features.

To create a web-based Clinical Trials Search Tool (CTST) that builds on ClinicalTrials.gov data, offering custom querying, reporting functions, and interactive geospatial mapping capabilities.

The CTST was built using a rapid, iterative, feedback-driven Agile approach. Its front-end client, developed in Svelte and TypeScript with the SvelteKit framework and Tailwind CSS UI library, supports detailed search specifications and result rendering. Iterative means user-driven refinement of queries, adjusting keywords, filters, and geography based on results. This workflow enables dynamic exploration and optimization of feasibility queries. The back-end server, implemented in Java with Spring Boot framework, processes searches and delivers ranked results, storing application data in a PostgreSQL database. Communication occurs through the server's REST API via asynchronous HTTP requests with JSON-serialized data.

The CTST, which enables both basic keyword-based searches as well as searches using advanced criteria, provides an easy-to-use interface for specifying input search criteria, allowing users to customize their selection. An interactive geospatial map renders the returned results as listings that summarize clinical trials in a tabular form, several layers that integrate population density, racial and ethnic demographics, and socioeconomic details.

The CTST builds on the ClinicalTrials.gov database, integrating geospatial, demographic, and socioeconomic dimensions to support advanced research and maximize its value for clinicians and investigators.