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SOP for CRF Completion and Review

Posted on August 31, 2025 digi By digi

SOP for CRF Completion and Review

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Published on 22/12/2025

Standard Operating Procedure for CRF Completion and Review

Department Clinical Research
SOP No. CR/DATA/050/2025
Supersedes NA
Page No. 1 of 22
Issue Date 26/08/2025
Effective Date 01/09/2025
Review Date 01/09/2026

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • Purpose
  • Scope
  • Responsibilities
  • Accountability
  • Procedure
  • Abbreviations
  • Documents
  • References
  • Approval Section
  • Annexures
  • Revision History

Purpose

The purpose of this SOP is to define standardized procedures for the accurate completion, verification, and review of Case Report Forms (CRFs) in clinical trials.

Proper CRF management ensures data integrity, compliance with regulatory requirements, and readiness for audits and inspections.

Scope

This SOP applies to investigators, study coordinators, CRAs, and sponsors responsible for completing and reviewing CRFs in both paper and electronic formats. It covers data entry, corrections, review, monitoring, and archiving of CRFs.

See also  SOP for Reconciling Paper and Electronic Records

Responsibilities

  • Principal Investigator (PI): Ensures CRFs are completed accurately, reviewed, and signed off.
  • Study Coordinator: Records subject data in CRFs promptly and maintains CRF records in ISF.
  • Clinical Research Associate (CRA): Verifies CRFs against source data during monitoring visits.
  • Sponsor/CRO: Provides oversight, ensures CRF compliance, and manages electronic CRF systems.
  • Quality Assurance Officer: Reviews CRF processes during audits and ensures inspection readiness.

Accountability

The PI is accountable for ensuring CRF accuracy and integrity. Sponsors are accountable for maintaining systems that comply with regulatory requirements.

Procedure

1. CRF Completion
Enter data into CRFs directly from source documents.
Ensure entries are complete, accurate, and contemporaneous with subject visits.
Use black ink for paper CRFs; electronic CRFs must maintain audit trails.

2. Corrections
Correct errors with a single line, initial, and date; avoid erasures or overwrites.
Electronic CRFs must log corrections with user ID and timestamp.

3. Review
PI reviews CRFs regularly and signs off completed forms.
Review should ensure consistency with source data and protocol requirements.

4. Monitoring
CRA verifies CRFs against source data during monitoring visits.
Discrepancies must be documented in Data Query Log (Annexure-1).

5. Archiving
Maintain CRFs in ISF/TMF for minimum of 15 years or as per local regulations.
Ensure records are secure, confidential, and accessible for regulatory inspection.

See also  SOP for FDA Clinical Hold/Partial Hold Communications and Remediation

Abbreviations

  • SOP: Standard Operating Procedure
  • CRF: Case Report Form
  • PI: Principal Investigator
  • CRA: Clinical Research Associate
  • CRO: Clinical Research Organization
  • QA: Quality Assurance
  • ISF: Investigator Site File
  • TMF: Trial Master File
  • ALCOA+: Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, Accurate, Complete, Consistent, Enduring, Available

Documents

  1. Data Query Log (Annexure-1)
  2. CRF Correction Log (Annexure-2)
  3. CRF Review Checklist (Annexure-3)

References

  • ICH E6(R2) – Good Clinical Practice
  • US FDA – Clinical Data Submission Requirements
  • EMA – Data Integrity and CRF Guidelines
  • CDSCO – Clinical Data Management Rules
  • WHO – Clinical Trial Data Recording Guidelines

Version: 1.0

Approval Section

Prepared By Rajesh Kumar, Clinical Data Manager
Checked By Sunita Reddy, QA Officer
Approved By Dr. Anil Sharma, Principal Investigator

Annexures

Annexure-1: Data Query Log

Date Subject ID CRF Page Query Description Resolution Resolved By
12/09/2025 CT2025-SITE01-141 Page 12 Missing BP entry Updated Study Coordinator

Annexure-2: CRF Correction Log

Date CRF Page Correction Made Reason Initials
13/09/2025 Page 14 Corrected dose from 50mg to 100mg Transcription error RK

Annexure-3: CRF Review Checklist

Checklist Item Status Remarks
CRF completed contemporaneously Yes All entries verified
Corrections logged and signed Yes Compliant

Revision History

Revision Date Revision No. Revision Details Reason for Revision Approved By
26/08/2025 00 Initial version New SOP creation Head, Clinical Research
See also  SOP for Controlled Substances Management in Trials

For more SOPs visit: Pharma SOP

Global SOPs (Applicable to all Agencies), SOP for GCP Tags:CDSCO CRF completion guidelines, CRF completion SOP, EMA CRF compliance SOP, FDA CRF documentation requirements, SOP for ALCOA+ compliance CRF, SOP for CAPA CRF documentation, SOP for clinical trial CRF completion standards -->, SOP for CRA monitoring CRF, SOP for CRF accuracy, SOP for CRF audit readiness, SOP for CRF consistency checks, SOP for CRF correction process, SOP for CRF data entry, SOP for CRF data integrity, SOP for CRF follow-up resolution, SOP for CRF inspection compliance, SOP for CRF review, SOP for CRF source data verification, SOP for CRF timely completion, SOP for CRF verification by PI, SOP for ISF CRF documentation, SOP for reconciliation of CRF data, SOP for sponsor oversight CRF, SOP for subject data recording CRF, SOP for TMF CRF records, WHO CRF clinical trial SOP

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