Design and implementation of an institutional case report form library

Background Case report forms (CRFs) are used to collect data in clinical research. Case report form development represents a significant part of the clinical trial process and can affect study success. Libraries of CRFs can preserve the organizational knowledge and expertise invested in CRF development and expedite the sharing of such knowledge. Although CRF libraries have been advocated, there have been no published accounts reporting institutional experiences with creating and using them.Purpose We sought to enhance an existing institutional CRF library by improving information indexing and accessibility. We describe this CRF library and discuss challenges encountered in its development and implementation, as well as future directions for continued work in this area.Methods We transformed an existing but underused and poorly accessible CRF library into a resource capable of supporting and expediting clinical and translational investigation at our institution by (1) expanding access to the entire institu...