Taking The "Risk" Out Of Risk-Based Monitoring

The clinical trial landscape is continually evolving and with it, efforts in the improvement of participant safety and data integrity. CROs are beginning to transition from on-site monitoring, with 100% point-to-point source data verification, toward a risk-based monitoring (RBM) approach that utilizes source data review and more centralized monitoring techniques better adapted for mitigating risk. 

While RBM has gained considerable attention in recent years, reluctance still remains around the approach—from uncertainty arising from the use of “risk” employed in its name to sponsors being wary of potential implications on data quality and regulatory inspection outcomes.

Despite these concerns, there is a growing consensus that risk-based approaches to monitoring, focused on risks to the most critical data elements and processes necessary to achieve study objectives, are more likely than routine visits to all clinical sites and 100% source data verification to ensure subject protection, data integrity, and overall study quality.