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 2025The 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

Three white papers released by the eCF/EUCROF Archiving and the Decommissioning Team

Published on 12 April 2023

Three white papers released by the eCF/EUCROF Archiving and the Decommissioning Team

The eClinical Forum Archiving and Decommission Team is pleased to announce the public release of three white papers:

  • "Nature of a Distributed Trial Master File ‐ Practical Aspects"
  • "The Decommissioning of Computerised Systems Used in Clinical Trials" 
  • "Data Formats Used in Clinical Trials"

These white papers were 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  PAPERS: These white papers provide details of the positions described in a position paper titled “Trial Master File Archiving and the Decommissioning of Computerised Systems Used in Clinical Trials” released on 26/Feb/2021. 

Nature of a Distributed Trial Master File ‐ Practical Aspects: The Essential records consist of trial-specific, non‐trial-specific documentation, and data. The non‐trial specific essential records may be retained separately and signposted in the sponsor (e)TMF. The location of these records will vary depending on the type and source of the records in question. Consequently, the whole (e)TMF will span across multiple locations and be distributed among multiple parties. The aggregation of trial and non‐trial specific essential records must allow for the seamless reconstruction of clinical development activities, must be open to audits and inspections, and must fulfill all regulatory and legal purposes for the applicable full retention periods. This white paper is intended to provide hands‐on practical guidance on (e)TMF implementation by describing examples of risks in practice with proposed recommendation(s).

The Decommissioning of Computerised Systems Used in Clinical Trials: Clinical trials typically involve the use of multiple computerised systems and many of these systems are rarely developed for use in one trial alone. Instead, specific trial configurations are built on common platforms across multiple sponsors and contract research organisations (CROs). This white paper addresses the decommissioning of computerised systems such as EDC/eCOA systems used in clinical trials

Data Formats Used in Clinical Trials: There are disparate views in our current climate on how data should be archived and handled. This follows regulatory guidance that expects information to be available in a way that allows queries whilst understanding that such formats are not necessarily practical over the full retention lifetime. This white paper explains the options, risks, and benefits of using a flexible multiformat approach to ensure recall can be conducted in the future.

 

 

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