Electronic Data Capture - eClinical Forum

Version 2025 has been released!!! This version includes updates based on ICH E6(R3) Good Clinical Practice.

The eClinical Forum offers 2 system assessment forms for investigator sites, sponsors, CROs, and regulators to use free of charge, to evaluate the suitability of an investigator site system to provide data/records for clinical trials. They are:

Form/S for e-Source Systems (e.g. Electronic Health Record Systems (EHRs))
Form/F for e-Investigator Site File Systems

The 2 system assessment forms contain questions based on regulations and guidelines from global regulatory agencies for clinical research. Since 2016, eSRA has been globally in use and regulators have accepted its inclusion in study materials. The eCF intends to publish an update to these materials annually, in Q1, to keep current with regulations and guidelines. (Note -- in 2025, we released in April in order to include updates from ICH E6(R3) GCP which was released in Jan '25).

The 2 eSRA Forms (Form/S and Form/F) are attached to the eSRA Handbook which provides guidance to sites on how to complete the forms. We request that Sponsors and CROs do not separate the forms from the handbook. Sites may separate the forms from the handbook after completion such that they are only sharing and storing the completed forms.
Sponsors and CROs can get additional guidance in “Implementing eSRA – Sponsor Assessment”
“Comparison of V2025 to V2024 and regulatory basis" shows the correlation between the 2 assessment forms and the underlying regulatory documents as well as what changes were made from the 2024 version.

Notice to those intending to include eCF Site System Assessment Forms in their own materials/applications: the forms are copyrighted by the eClinical Forum in 2025. The eClinical Forum keeps all rights of this material. Please see the License for Fair Use in the Handbooks and “Implementing eSRA” Guide. We welcome our assessment forms to be used in other formats, however, it is required that all question text be used exactly, that all questions are included, that your use is updated when the eCF forms are updated (annually, Q1), and that eClinical Forum is notified in writing and credited. By using these materials, you acknowledge the terms and conditions for use. The eClinical Forum is only responsible for materials as distributed via the eClinical Forum website. If using the eCF forms downloaded from this website in original formats, there is no need to notify eCF.

Stay Current!!

As new regulations are released or updated, the eClinical Forum will evaluate if the site system assessment form questions should be updated. To be notified of future releases of the eClinical Forum Site System Assessment Forms and/or to provide feedback to the team, please send an email to eSRA@eClinicalForum.org. Your email address will not be used for purposes other than to inform you of updates to eCF Site System Assessments.

Do we keep a list of sites that have completed eCF Site Assessments?

We have frequently been asked if we can provide a list of which sites have already completed an eSRA. Due to privacy laws in different countries, eClinical Forum does not keep such a list. We supply the site system assessment forms free of charge.. We encourage sponsors to keep a list for themselves of which sites they have received a completed assessment from. We encourage sites to store their completed assessments in a central location (such as their IT department) so that other groups within the same organization / using the same computerised system, can use the previously completed assessment as a starting point.

eCF Site System Assessment Resources – Scroll to see all resources

Japanese translation of eSRA V2024

Version 2024JP1: Japanese translation of eSRA Handbook and Assessment Questionnaire (eSRA日本語訳)

20 May 2024 0

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eCF Requirements for Electronic Data for Regulated Clinical Trials PR2023

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.

24 March 2024 0

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Best Practice Document on Investigator’s Signature

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.

1 October 2022 0

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"When should audit trail begin?"

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

17 June 2021 0

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AUDIT TRAIL REVIEW: A KEY TOOL TO ENSURE DATA INTEGRITY

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.

2 October 2020 0

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RESULTS: Investigator Site Survey

Voluntary Investigator Site Survey survey concluded with 528 responses.

31 October 2019 0

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Prominent Industry Magazines address the need for investigator site systems assessment and eSRA

1 October 2019 0

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ECF REPRESENTATIVES MEET WITH EMA GCP IWG

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...

15 June 2017 0

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