Optical Disc Storage and Retrieval of Clinical Trial Supplies Documents

An optical disc system is described for the storage and retrieval of documents generated by the clinical trial supplies section in a pharmaceutical development organization. The system was largely developed in-house to satisfy the organization's specific needs and makes use of existing hardware and database management software. It supersedes a microfilm-based system whose shortcomings are noted. The system is based on a Micro Vax 3100 workstation linked to a dual 12 “ Sony optical disc drive. BASISPlus database management software is used, allowing rapid and specific retrieval of document images. The operational benefits of the system are discussed, together with quality control, legal issues, and staffing.