An automation does something for you when something else happens: sends an email alert, generates an ePRO record, notifies a team when a query appears. Every automation is a trigger plus an action, and this article covers both, plus what to know before you rely on one.
The eight triggers
Trigger | Fires when |
Subject included | A subject study ID is assigned, meaning a first object is connected to the subject. |
Subject excluded | A subject is marked as excluded in the associated eCRF. |
Question | A chosen answer is given to a chosen question, in an eCRF, an ePRO or an eConsent. |
Queries Created | A query is created manually. |
Consent signed | An eConsent is signed by the subject and is waiting for a countersignature. |
eConsent Rejected | An eConsent is rejected by the subject. |
Subject Randomized | A subject is allocated to a randomization group from their eCRF. |
ePRO survey sent | An ePRO survey is sent to the subject. This is how you chain questionnaires. |
The three actions
Which actions are offered depends on the trigger you picked.
Action | What it does, and what you configure |
Email notification | Emails the recipients you choose: users on the study, roles attached to the study, or external addresses. You write the subject and the body. |
Email notification to subject | Emails the subject directly. Available only with the Subject Randomized trigger. |
Send ePRO survey | Creates and sends an ePRO record. You set a Period to wait first, for example 7 days, and write the message. |
Create an automation
đ ď¸ Step by step guide
Open your EDC clinical study and go to Automation.
Enter a name for the automation.
Select the event type, meaning the trigger, from the table above.
Select the action, and complete its settings: recipients, message, and a period if you are sending an ePRO.
Select Save.
đĄ Tip: you can put dynamic variables into your messages, such as the subject ID. Click the information icon in the message editor to see what is available.
What to know before you rely on one
eCRF and ePRO field values cannot be inserted into emails, for privacy reasons. You can say a form was completed; you cannot say what it said.
Emails to users are limited to their assigned centers.
Emails to external addresses are always sent, regardless of center access.
A user who has never activated their account will not receive automation emails.
Automations can be tested in draft and updated after go-live.
â ď¸ Warning: the fourth point is the one that catches people. An automation aimed at a colleague who has not finished activating their Datacapt account simply does not reach them, and nothing reports the failure. If an alert is not arriving, check the recipient's account status before you check the automation.
Edit an automation
Most fields can be changed later: the name, the recipients, the message, the delay.
đ ď¸ Step by step guide
Go to the Automation section in your study.
Find the automation you want to change.
Click the three-dot menu and select Edit.
Make your changes and click Save.
â ď¸ Warning: the trigger and the action cannot be changed once saved. To change either, delete the automation and create a new one. Automations also cannot be edited while a study is Suspended, only in Draft or Live.