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:

  • e-Source-Readiness Assessment (eSRA)
  • e-Investigator Site File System Assessment (ISF Assessment)

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. In 2024, the The ISF Assessment, based on eSRA, was released on the request of our eSRA users.  The eCF intends to publish an update to these materials annually, in Q1, to keep current with regulations and guidelines.

  • Each assessment form is packaged in a handbook providing guidance to sites on how to complete the form. The form should not be separated from the handbook, except after completion. 
  • The document “Implementing eSRA – Sponsor Assessment”, while written for eSRA, applies equally to implementing the ISF Assessment.
  • A joint document, “Regulatory documents used as a basis for the eClinical Forum eSRA and ISF Assessments” shows the correlation between these 2 assessment tools and the underlying regulatory documents.

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 2024The 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 form, downloaded from this website in its original format, 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 eSRA and ISF Assessment and/or to provide feedback to the team, please send an email to eSRA@eClinicalForum.org or  ISFA@eClinicalForum.org.  Your email address will not be used for purposes other than to inform you of updates to eSRA and ISF Assessment.

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 questionnaires (eSRA and ISF Assessment), free of charge, to anyone who wants to use it. 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 eSRA or ISF Assessment 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

Position Paper: Trial Master File Archiving and the Decommissioning of Computerised Systems Used in Clinical Trials, PR1

Published on 26 February 2021

Position Paper: Trial Master File Archiving and the Decommissioning of Computerised Systems Used in Clinical Trials, PR1

The eClinical Forum is happy to announce the public release of a position paper titled “Decentralized TMF Archives and The Decommissioning Of Computerised Systems Used In Clinical Trials”.  This position paper was written by a joint task force from EUCROF and the eClinical Forum, with representatives from other industry associations including ECRIN, the ePRO consortium, Medicines for Europe and the RQA.

ABOUT THE POSITION PAPER: Following the completion of a clinical trial, the essential documents that make up the TMF (Trial Master File) are retained and archived by the sponsor, the investigator and, in some cases, sub-contractors to the sponsor and/or investigator.  Many of the computerised systems used during a trial are only used during the active data collection stage of the trial, which is often a shorter period of time than the retention period required for the archiving of the essential documents of the trial.

The position paper discusses the needs and proposed practical directions for archiving of clinical research. The task force has included representatives the pharmaceutical industry, investigator and institution sites, contract research organisations and vendors of computerised systems to the clinical trial industry.  The paper highlights 11 key positions: seven positions concerning the archiving of the TMF and four positions concerning the archiving of the electronic data. These positions address areas where regulatory expectations are not always seen as being aligned with industry practices.

The position paper is the product of unparalleled knowledge and experience, and nearly three years of continuous efforts by  the EUCROF and eClinical Forum Joint Task Force on Archiving and Decommissioning.

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