Glossaries

An effect attributed to a treatment in a clinical trial. In most clinical trials, the treatment effect of interest is a comparison (or contrast) of two or more treatments. [ICH E9] See also treatment effect.

The electronic document room is an extension of the e-Submissions central document room. A check is performed on each submission sent to the EDR for file formats used and the integrity of bookmarks and hypertext links.

An auditable process, usually automated, of assessing the content of a data field against its expected logical, format, range, or other properties that is intended to reduce error. NOTE: Time-of-entry edit checks are a type of edit check that is run (executed) at the time data are first captured or transcribed to an electronic device at the time entry is completed of each field or group of fields on a form. Back-end edit checks are a type that is run against data that has been entered or captured electronically and has also been received by a centralized data store.

The process of collecting clinical trial data into a permanent electronic form. NOTE: Permanent in the context of these definitions implies that any changes made to the electronic data are recorded with an audit trail. EDC usually denotes manual entry of CRF data by transcription from source documents. The transcription is typically done by personnel at investigative sites. [After Guidance for Industry, Use of Electronic Health Record Data in Clinical Investigations, July 2018] See also data entry, direct data entry, data acquisition, data capture.

Case report tabulation (CRT) provided in electronic format for eSubmissions (electronic regulatory submissions). NOTE: according to FDA guidance, eCRTs are datasets provided as SAS Transport files with accompanying documentation in electronic submissions. They enable reviewers to analyze each dataset for each study. Each CRF domain should be provided as a single dataset; however, additional datasets suitable for reproducing and confirming analyses may also be needed. SDTM is the preferred format.

An auditable electronic record of information that is reported to the sponsor (or sponsor's agent such as an EDC provider) on each trial subject to enable data pertaining to a clinical investigation protocol to be systematically captured, reviewed, managed, stored, analyzed, and reported. The eCRF is a CRF in which related data items and their associated comments, notes, and signatures are linked programmatically. See also case report form, CRF, eSRF.[CSUICI; Revised from FDA Final Guidance on eSource]

Clinical trial in which primarily electronic processes are used to plan, collect (acquire), access, exchange, and archive data required for conduct, management, analysis, and reporting of the trial. NOTE: FDA has recently drawn a distinction between studies and trials. Both words refer to systematic efforts to obtain evidence relevant to regulatory authorities, but, depending on regulatory context and particularly in the case of postmarketing commitments, a study might not be the appropriate word for a clinical trial (prospective, controlled, randomized), but should be reserved instead for surveillance, structured gathering of information, epidemiological studies, or even animal studies [Guidance for industry Postmarketing studies and Clinical Trials-implementation of section 505(o) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic act]. See also clinical study, clinical trial.

A copy of an electronic record that is created through the application of a process validated to preserve the data and metadata of the original and where the validation of the process is certified by the dated signature of an authorized person. [CDISC, after EMA/INS/GCP/454280/2010 GCP Inspectors Working Group (GCP IWG) June 2010]

The premature end of a clinical trial due to any reason before the conditions specified in the protocol are complied with. [REGULATION (EU) No 536/2014 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 16 April 2014 on clinical trials on medicinal products for human use, and repealing Directive 2001/20/EC; ICH E6] See also termination (of a clinical trial).