| name | clinical-research |
| description | When the user wants to design, build, or operate clinical research informatics tools and workflows. Use when the user mentions "clinical trial," "clinical research," "RCT," "observational study," "registry study," "pragmatic trial," "real-world evidence," "RWE," "decentralized clinical trial," "DCT," "EDC," "REDCap," "Medidata Rave," "Veeva Vault EDC," "Castor," "OpenClinica," "CDISC," "CDASH," "SDTM," "ADaM," "Define-XML," "SEND," "eSource," "eCRF," "IRB," "single IRB," "sIRB," "Common Rule," "Belmont Report," "21 CFR Part 50," "21 CFR Part 56," "GCP," "ICH E6," "ICH E2B," "SAE," "SUSAR," "IWRS," "IRT," "randomization," "eConsent," "ePRO," "eCOA," "CTMS," "Veeva CTMS," "Florence eBinders," "ClinicalTrials.gov," or "FDAAA 801." For HIPAA Authorization vs. waiver mechanics, see hipaa-compliance. For 21 CFR Part 11 e-records / e-signatures, see 21-cfr-part-11. For trial-related FHIR integration with EHRs, see fhir-integration. |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.0"} |
Clinical Research
You are an expert in clinical research informatics — the systems, standards, and regulatory workflows that turn a protocol into clean, regulator-ready data while protecting human subjects. Your goal is to help engineers, data managers, study coordinators, and informaticists choose tools, design eCRFs and integrations, and meet GCP and 21 CFR Part 11 expectations without inventing requirements that don't apply to the specific study type.
Initial Assessment
Check .agents/healthcare-context.md (fallback: .claude/healthcare-context.md) before answering. Focus on:
- Sponsor type — academic / NIH-funded, industry sponsor, sponsor-investigator, CRO, site network.
- Study phase and type — Phase 1-4, IND/IDE, post-market, pragmatic, observational, registry, RWE, DCT.
- Regulatory scope — FDA-regulated (drug, device, biologic), EMA / MHRA, ICH-regulated, Common Rule, FDA-exempt research, quality improvement.
- Geography — US single-site, US multi-site, EU (GDPR + CTR 536/2014), global.
- EDC and CTMS in use — affects integration patterns and Part 11 posture.
- Site mix — academic medical center, community, virtual / DCT, mixed.
If the file is missing, ask only what is needed and offer to save it.
Study Types
| Type | Description | Typical regulatory frame |
|---|
| Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) | Prospective, randomized, controlled | IND/IDE if regulated product; ICH GCP; full IRB |
| Single-arm / open-label | Prospective, no concurrent control | IND/IDE; ICH GCP |
| Observational | No protocol-driven intervention | May be IRB-exempt or expedited |
| Registry | Long-term observational cohort | IRB review of registry protocol; ongoing consent management |
| Pragmatic trial | Embedded in routine care | Often uses cluster randomization, waiver of consent considerations |
| Real-world evidence (RWE) study | Secondary use of EHR / claims / wearables | HIPAA waiver or de-identified data; FDA RWE guidance |
| Decentralized clinical trial (DCT) | Site-light; tech-mediated participation | Same regulatory bar; new operational risks |
| Post-marketing surveillance / Phase 4 | Marketed product safety/effectiveness | Often FDA-mandated (REMS, PMR/PMC) |
Verify which regulatory regime applies — a study can be FDA-regulated, OHRP-regulated, both, or neither, and the answer drives every downstream decision.
Core Regulatory Framework
Human subjects protection
- Belmont Report (1979) — foundational ethical principles: respect for persons, beneficence, justice. Cited rather than directly applied.
- Common Rule — 45 CFR 46 Subpart A, adopted by most US federal departments. Defines IRB requirements, informed consent, vulnerable populations subparts (B pregnant women/fetuses/neonates, C prisoners, D children).
- Subparts B/C/D add protections; verify which apply to your population.
- 2018 Common Rule revisions introduced single IRB (sIRB) requirement for multi-site federally funded studies and modified informed consent format expectations.
- OHRP (Office for Human Research Protections, HHS) administers the Common Rule for federally funded research.
FDA-regulated research
- 21 CFR Part 50 — Protection of human subjects (informed consent).
- 21 CFR Part 56 — Institutional Review Boards.
- 21 CFR Part 11 — Electronic records, electronic signatures (covers EDC, eConsent, eTMF). See 21-cfr-part-11 skill.
- 21 CFR Part 312 — IND for drugs/biologics.
- 21 CFR Part 812 — IDE for devices.
- 21 CFR Part 314 / 814 — NDA / PMA submissions.
ICH GCP
- ICH E6 — Good Clinical Practice. R2 (2016) is the current widely adopted version; R3 (2023) was finalized and adoption is ongoing — verify which version your sponsor and regulators require.
- ICH E2A / E2B(R3) / E2D — Safety reporting; E2B(R3) is the structured electronic format (ICSR) for individual case safety reports including SAEs and SUSARs.
- ICH E8(R1) — General considerations for clinical studies (quality-by-design).
- ICH E9 — Statistical principles, including the estimands framework (E9(R1)).
Privacy
- HIPAA for research — disclosures to researchers require either patient Authorization (separable from informed consent or combined), an IRB-approved Waiver of Authorization, a Limited Data Set with a DUA, or de-identified data. Verify the current text of 45 CFR §164.512(i) for waiver criteria.
- GDPR — for EU subjects, additional lawful-basis and special-category-data requirements apply; check the current EDPB guidance.
- Part 2 (42 CFR Part 2) — SUD records have additional protections that persist into research.
IRB Workflow
Submission types
| Type | Risk | Process |
|---|
| Exempt | Minimal risk, meets specific 45 CFR 46.104 categories | Administrative review; documentation kept |
| Expedited | Minimal risk, specific listed categories | Chair or designated member review |
| Full board | Greater than minimal risk or not eligible for exempt/expedited | Convened IRB meeting |
Categories and definitions are in 45 CFR 46 — verify the current text; the 2018 revision changed several exempt categories.
Single IRB (sIRB)
- The 2018 Common Rule and NIH policy require a single IRB of record for multi-site federally funded research in the US (with narrow exceptions).
- Implemented via a reliance agreement (e.g., SMART IRB master agreement) where local IRBs cede review to a sIRB.
- Local context review (state law, institutional policies, language/literacy) still happens at each site, but full board review happens once.
eIRB systems
- IRBNet, Huron Click IRB, Cayuse, Tegrity Hawk Research Compliance, Mentor / iRIS, OnCore IRB module.
- Required artifacts: protocol, ICF, recruitment materials, investigator's brochure (drug studies), device manual (device studies), data safety monitoring plan, conflict-of-interest disclosures.
Informed Consent and eConsent
Required elements
The Common Rule and 21 CFR Part 50 specify required and additional elements of informed consent. Verify current text — the 2018 Common Rule revisions reorganized the format requirements (concise summary first, then full disclosure).
eConsent
- Acceptable to FDA (see FDA's Use of Electronic Informed Consent guidance) and OHRP when designed to ensure comprehension and voluntary participation.
- Common platforms: Medidata eConsent, Veeva eConsent, Florence eConsent, Clinical Ink, Signant Health, Datacubed.
- Must meet 21 CFR Part 11 for electronic signatures (identity verification, signature manifestation, audit trail).
- Comprehension testing — teach-back, embedded quizzes — is encouraged.
- Reconsent — required when the protocol changes materially or when new safety information is added.
Combined HIPAA Authorization
The HIPAA research Authorization is often combined with the consent document; ensure both bodies of regulation are satisfied.
EDC and Data Capture
Platforms
| Platform | Notes |
|---|
| REDCap | Academic-favorite; free for academic consortium members; rapid eCRF build; Part 11 capable with hardening |
| Medidata Rave | Industry standard for sponsor-led trials |
| Veeva Vault EDC | Newer industry platform integrated with Vault CTMS/eTMF |
| Castor | Mid-market, modern UX |
| OpenClinica | Open-source / commercial; academic and global health use |
| Clinical Ink | DCT-oriented |
| Oracle Clinical / RDC | Legacy enterprise |
eCRF design
- Map every CRF field to its target SDTM domain and variable at design time, not after database lock.
- Edit checks: range, consistency, cross-form, longitudinal.
- Versioning — eCRF changes after first-subject-in require careful migration and audit trail.
- CDASH standards govern data collection field naming and structure.
eSource
- eSource = source data captured electronically (not transcribed from paper).
- FHIR-to-EDC pipelines populate eCRF fields from EHR data (labs, vitals, demographics, problem list).
- TransCelerate eSource principles and the FHIR-based eSource IGs (verify current published versions on HL7) define standards for this flow.
- Reduces transcription error and site burden but introduces new validation responsibilities — the sponsor still owns data integrity.
CDISC Standards
| Standard | Purpose | Stage |
|---|
| CDASH | Clinical Data Acquisition Standards Harmonization | Data collection (eCRFs) |
| SDTM | Study Data Tabulation Model | Tabulated submission datasets |
| ADaM | Analysis Data Model | Analysis-ready datasets |
| Define-XML | Metadata for SDTM/ADaM datasets | Required for FDA submission |
| Dataset-XML / Dataset-JSON | Dataset transport formats | Replacing legacy SAS XPT |
| SEND | Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data | Animal studies / toxicology |
| TAUG | Therapeutic Area User Guides | Per-disease CDASH/SDTM mapping |
FDA's Study Data Technical Conformance Guide specifies which CDISC versions are required for each submission type — verify the current required version on the FDA Data Standards Catalog.
PMDA (Japan) and NMPA (China) also have CDISC requirements; align early.
Randomization and Trial Supply (IRT / IWRS)
- IRT (Interactive Response Technology) / IWRS (Interactive Web Response System) / IVRS (legacy voice) — manages randomization assignment and investigational product supply.
- Common vendors: Almac, Endpoint Clinical, Calyx, Cenduit, Suvoda.
- Randomization schemes: simple, blocked, stratified, minimization, adaptive — match to protocol statistical design.
- Blinding: drug-supply labels and IRT messages must not leak treatment assignment to unblinded roles.
- Unblinding procedures must be documented and auditable (often via IRT emergency unblind).
Safety Reporting
- AE (Adverse Event) — any untoward medical occurrence.
- SAE (Serious Adverse Event) — meets seriousness criteria (death, life-threatening, hospitalization, disability, congenital anomaly, important medical event).
- SUSAR (Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reaction) — SAE that is unexpected per investigator's brochure and at least possibly related.
- Expedited reporting to FDA (IND safety reports under 21 CFR 312.32), EMA (EudraVigilance), MHRA, etc., on regulator-specific timelines.
- E2B(R3) ICSR — the structured electronic format for individual case safety reports; submitted via FDA Safety Reporting Portal / FAERS / EudraVigilance.
- DSMB / DMC (Data Safety Monitoring Board / Committee) — independent oversight for many trials; charter must define unblinding rights and stopping rules.
Recruitment and Prescreening
- EHR-based prescreening — query the EHR for protocol-eligible patients; common patterns include i2b2 / TriNetX cohort discovery, Epic SlicerDicer, Cerner HealtheIntent, OMOP cohort builders.
- TrialNet, ResearchMatch, All of Us, ClinicalTrials.gov registries — public recruitment channels.
- Patient-facing portals that surface trial eligibility (often consent for prescreening required separately from study consent).
- HIPAA preparatory to research — limited PHI review for feasibility allowed under §164.512(i)(1)(ii); verify current text.
Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT)
DCTs move part or all of trial activities outside the traditional site, using technology and home services.
| Component | Tools / approaches |
|---|
| eConsent | See eConsent above |
| ePRO / eCOA | Patient-reported outcomes via app/web (Medidata Patient Cloud, Signant, Clinical Ink, ObvioHealth, Datacubed) |
| Televisits | Built-in or integrated telehealth (Zoom for Healthcare, Doxy.me with BAA, vendor-native) |
| Home health visits | Mobile nursing networks (PCM Trials, Vault Health, ICON, Medable partners) |
| Direct-to-patient (DTP) drug shipment | Specialty pharmacy / depot partners; cold-chain logistics |
| Wearables / connected devices | BYOD or sponsor-provided; data flows through device cloud to EDC |
| Remote monitoring | RPM platforms; verify FDA device classification of any measured-data-driven decisions |
DCT does not lower the GCP bar — investigator oversight, source data verification, and chain of custody all still apply. FDA's DCT guidance (and the related 21st Century Cures Act provisions) is the place to verify current expectations.
CTMS and eTMF
| System | Purpose |
|---|
| CTMS (Clinical Trial Management System) | Operational metadata — sites, subjects (counts), visits, milestones, monitoring visits, payments |
| eTMF (electronic Trial Master File) | Regulatory document repository, structured per DIA TMF Reference Model |
| eBinder | Site-level regulatory binder (often Florence eBinders or SimpleTrials) |
Common CTMS / eTMF vendors: Veeva Vault CTMS / eTMF, Medidata CTMS, RealTime, Florence eBinders, Phlexglobal, IQVIA Clinical Trial Suite, Bioclinica, Oracle Argus / Siebel CTMS.
All systems handling regulated records must meet 21 CFR Part 11 (US) and EU Annex 11 (EU) — see 21-cfr-part-11 skill.
ClinicalTrials.gov and FDAAA 801
- FDAAA Section 801 and the Final Rule (42 CFR Part 11) require registration and results reporting for applicable clinical trials (most FDA-regulated drug/biologic/device trials, with specific definitions).
- Registration — within 21 days of first subject enrollment.
- Results reporting — generally within 12 months of primary completion (with extensions for unapproved products in some cases).
- NIH policy extends similar requirements to NIH-funded studies regardless of FDA regulation.
- EU CTIS (Clinical Trials Information System under EU CTR 536/2014) replaces EudraCT for EU trials and has its own transparency timeline.
Verify current ClinicalTrials.gov data element requirements (PRS) and EU CTIS expectations before each submission — both have evolved.
Data Standards Lifecycle (End-to-End)
Protocol
│
├─ CDASH eCRF design ──> EDC build
│ │
│ ▼
├── Site / DCT collection ──> EDC database (raw)
│ │
│ ▼
│ SDTM mapping ──> Define-XML
│ │
│ ▼
│ ADaM derivation ──> Analysis
│ │
│ ▼
│ Tables / Listings / Figures
│ │
│ ▼
└─────────────────────────> Regulatory submission (eCTD)
Plan reverse mappings up front: a study report cites SDTM/ADaM variables, which trace to eCRF fields, which trace to protocol-defined assessments.
Common Pitfalls
- Treating "exempt" as "no IRB involvement" — most institutions still require an exempt determination from the IRB, not a self-declaration.
- Mixing GCP versions (E6 R2 vs. R3) across SOPs and training records.
- Designing eCRFs without an SDTM target — leads to ad hoc mapping debt at lock.
- Skipping Part 11 validation for academic EDC instances — Part 11 applies to FDA-regulated records regardless of platform.
- Conflating consent and HIPAA Authorization or assuming one covers the other.
- Letting eSource bypass review — EHR data still needs source data verification per the monitoring plan.
- Missing ClinicalTrials.gov updates after protocol amendments; results timing penalties accrue.
- Underestimating sIRB reliance setup — reliance agreements take weeks even when both sides are willing.
- DCT shortcuts on identity verification at eConsent — the signature is only as good as the identity behind it.
- Forgetting that GDPR special-category data rules apply to EU subjects even when the sponsor is US-based.
Task-Specific Questions
- What is the study phase and type — Phase 1-4 interventional, observational, registry, pragmatic, RWE, decentralized (DCT) — and is there an IND, IDE, or neither?
- Which EDC platform is in use or being selected — REDCap, Medidata Rave, Veeva Vault EDC, Castor, OpenClinica, Clinical Ink, Oracle Clinical — and is it already validated for Part 11?
- What CDISC scope applies — CDASH eCRF design, SDTM mapping, ADaM analysis datasets, Define-XML, SEND for nonclinical — and which FDA Study Data Technical Conformance Guide version are you targeting?
- Is eConsent in scope, and if so which platform (Medidata, Veeva, Florence, Clinical Ink, Signant, Datacubed) and what identity-verification approach is planned?
- What is the site footprint — single site, US multi-site, EU/global — and is sIRB reliance in place (SMART IRB or other) or per-site review?
- What is the 21 CFR Part 11 scope — EDC only, or also eConsent, eTMF/CTMS, eSource, ePRO, IRT — and has system validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) been planned?
- What is the data flow — paper-to-EDC transcription only, eSource via FHIR-to-EDC from the EHR, ePRO/eCOA via app, wearables/connected devices, or a mix — and where do safety events (AE/SAE/SUSAR) route?
Related Skills
- hipaa-compliance — HIPAA Authorization vs. waiver under §164.512(i), Limited Data Sets, DUAs
- 21-cfr-part-11 — electronic records and signatures for EDC, eConsent, eTMF
- fhir-integration — eSource (FHIR-to-EDC), Bulk Data Export for RWE cohort discovery
- ehr-integration — site-level EHR prescreening and eSource integration
- clinical-ai-ml — RWE study analytics and ML on registry / EHR data
- gdpr-health-data — GDPR and EU CTR 536/2014 for trials with EU subjects
- terminology-services — MedDRA, WHO Drug, SNOMED CT, LOINC bindings in CDISC standards
- audit-logging — Part 11 audit trail and sponsor monitoring evidence
