This topic is coming out of a discussion that started at the eCF Workshop in Massachusetts in October. The group decided they wanted more time to delve more deeply into this discussion and to include eCF members from other regions.  The discussion will be around:

• 100% SDV provides little value for a whole lot of work … but how do we define “critical” data such that not everything is considered critical?
• How can we implement a risk-based approach without compromising down-stream activities?

Version 2024JP1 (20-May-2024)

Japanese translation of eSRA Handbook and Assessment Questionnaire (eSRA日本語訳)

The eClinical Forum is happy to announce the Public release of the "eCF Requirements for Electronic Data for Regulated Clinical Trials PR2023"

ABOUT THE ECF REQUIREMENTS:  The eClinical Forum has produced a set of Requirements, which are based upon statements in regulatory documents that pertain to the design, development, implementation, and management of electronic systems that support clinical research data as well as those statements that pertain to the handling of data that will be used in a regulated clinical trial.  We have reviewed regulatory documents from the FDA, EMA, PMDA, NMPA, MHRA and ICH to produce this set of requirements. Each Requirement has as its basis one or more statements from one or more of these regulatory documents. The Requirements can be used to determine if systems, that source or manage data which will become part of a regulated clinical trial, are consistent with regulatory requirements and if systems and process that manage these data have the necessary features.

The eClinical Forum is happy to announce the release of the "Investigator’s signature on electronic Case Report Forms (eCRFs), PR2.1"

About the Best Practice Document: There is increased scrutiny by regulatory agencies on the collection of investigator’s signatures as evidence of the overall oversight on the eCRF is reported to the sponsor.  eClinical Forum PI Signature Working Group was formed in March 2021 to update the best practice document originally issued in 2017 by identifying best practices that are based on compliance to regulatory requirements and on risks such as reputation, credibility, legal liability of the data being used by the sponsor. 

Several members of the eClinical Forum's Regulatory Advisory Group have published an article in Applied Clinical Trials on "When should audit trail begin?"  It is a discussion of the regulatory history behind audit trails and its interpretation as it relates to clinical research data originating or residing in EDC or eCOA systems.

We welcome feedback! Please send to: REG@eclinicalforum.org 

eClinical Forum Audit Trail Review Team with SCDM Innovation Committee are pleased to announce the release of their Industry Position Paper.

In clinical research, data integrity is paramount, and the importance of the right policies, procedures, responsibilities, and governance cannot be overstated. With various electronic data capture modalities becoming the norm and the growing regulatory focus on data collection traceability, audit trails which capture the who, what, when, and why of electronic data entry and amendments are a critical tool. This paper outlines an industry perspective on maximizing the value of implementing the targeted, routine review of these extremely large datasets. It provides recommendations on risk-based use cases for audit trail review (ATR) and the corresponding desired reporting criteria, with suggestions on when to use visualizations and exception report listings to generate key, actionable insights. It contains practical implementation guidance, covering the people, processes and technology needed to execute ATRs effectively. The authors also take a deep dive into the technical aspects of what constitutes an audit trail, and how collecting and preparing audit trail data is fundamental to successful ATR capability.

Voluntary Investigator Site Survey survey concluded with 528 responses.

Representatives from the eClinical Forum participated in the meeting with inspectors and observers in London 12th June to discuss challenges and trends in Clinical Research. We presented the work of the eClinical Forum in the areas of contractual requirements and risk-based software validation…  Expand article to read more...

The eCF is releasing 3 documents via the eCF website “Members” area (un/pw required).  Please feel free to download them and share with other members of your company.

The eClinical Forum held an open discussion with members from pharma, CROs, and associated software vendors, to talk about this draft FDA guidance on Jan 8, 2013.  The resulting comments are a consensus of member opinion. They have been submitted to the FDA on March 12, 2013.