Development of a risk assessment and risk management tool for an academic research organization

Background: In the past decade, regulatory agencies have released guidance around risk-based management with the goal of focusing on risks to critical aspects of a research study. Several tools have been developed aimed at implementing these guidelines. We designed a risk management tool to meet the demands of our academic data coordinating center.

Methods: We developed the Risk Assessment and Risk Management (RARM) tool on three fundamental criteria of our risk/quality program: (1) Quality by Design concepts applies to all employees, regardless of the employee's role; (2) the RARM process must be economically feasible and dynamically flexible during the study startup and implementation process; and (3) responsibility of the RARM lay with the entire study team as opposed to a single quality expert.

Results: The RARM tool has 20 elements for both risk assessment and risk management. The incorporation of both aspects of risk management allow for a seamless transition from identifying risks to actively monitoring risks throughout enrollment.

Conclusion: The RARM tool achieves a simplified, seamless approach to risk assessment and risk management. The tool incorporates the concept of Quality by Design into daily work by having every team member contribute to the RARM tool. It also combines the risk assessment and risk management processes into a single tool which allows for a seamless transition from identifying risks to managing the risks throughout the life of the study. The instructions facilitate documentation of de-risking protocols early in development and the tool can be implemented in any platform and organization.