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Clinical Study Document Search

Clinical study document search that answers from the newest approved version — and flags the older ones

Any study question answered in seconds, from the newest approved version.

See one case, screen by screen ↓
demo5sto a fact card on the target sample size, from 5 sources, read-only and blinded
demo1,284documentsread in place for one Phase 3 study — 142 superseded versions kept for comparison only
demo35dayshow much older the protocol synopsis is than the analysis plan it contradicts — flagged on the card
target8.3smedian to a cited answer, against about 45 minutes by hand
In short

What is Clinical Study Document Search?

Search over a study's own files — protocol and amendments, plans, manuals, decision logs, minutes, trackers — and its CTMS, EDC and blinded IRT data, answered in plain words. Clinical Study Document Search returns each answer as a fact card: the value, the date it is true as of, and the document, version and section it came from, with the supporting passages.

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Updated

The problem

Why one study question takes most of an hour — and still risks the wrong version

A Phase 3 study runs on more than a thousand documents in many versions — protocol and amendments, statistical analysis plan, monitoring, pharmacy and laboratory plans, decision logs, minutes, trackers — plus daily CTMS and EDC extracts. A question from a site or a CRA usually crosses them: the rule is in one document, the number in EDC, the status in a tracker. Answering it by hand takes 30 to 60 minutes, and the study manager is the study's human index.

The expensive failure is the copy found first. Three in four protocols are amended, and every amendment leaves superseded numbers behind in synopses, site guides, checklists and trackers: a sample size of 600 after the analysis plan moved it to 640, a ± 5-day window printed on visit cards after the protocol narrowed it to ± 3, a 60-minute temperature rule on a pharmacy card after the manual said 30. Nobody owns the question “is any other document now out of date?” — it is found by accident, as a deviation or an inspection finding.

typical76%of protocols have at least one substantial amendment
typical3+amendmentsper protocol on average — each one leaves older statements behind
Where a study manager's week of study questions goes, in daysestimated
By hand3 days
With the solution0.5 days
  • Finding the current version of each document0.8 → 0.1 d
  • Finding the passage, section and page0.5 → 0.1 d
  • Pulling numbers from CTMS, EDC and the trackers0.8 → 0.1 d
  • Checking older documents and trackers that disagree0.5 → 0.1 d
  • Writing the answer, citing it and raising follow-ups0.5 → 0.3 d

Estimated split of one study manager's week spent answering cross-document study questions, by hand and with the solution — based on the study team's own estimate of 30–60 minutes per question.

How it works

How a question becomes a fact card

Six specialist agents route, read, query, date every version, answer and plan corrections; the study manager decides.

What comes in
Question inPlain words · documents, study data, trackers
Agents at work
Question routerdocuments, data or both
Then
Study document reader
Study data analyst
Then
Version checkernewest approved wins
Then
Answer writer
Follow-up planner
A person decides
Study managerdecides on corrections
What comes out
Fact card, as of
Out-of-date flags
Follow-ups
One case, step by step

One question, from the search bar to a correction and a TMF record

VLT-302 is a Phase 3 study of veltrimab in plaque psoriasis: 88 sites in 11 countries, Protocol v4.0 after Amendment 3. On Wednesday 7 October, Lena Ortiz, the study manager, has questions waiting. Here is what happens, screen by screen, in the working solution.

  1. 0108:12

    One search bar over the whole study

    Lena Ortiz · Study manager

    The search reads 1,284 study documents, the CTMS extract from 06:00, EDC from 05:30, blinded IRT and 4 trackers and logs — blinded data only, within her site access. Her first answer is already on screen: 67 participants still to re-consent for Amendment 3, at 7 sites, 14 overdue at 3 sites, as of today 05:30. The CRAs' tracker says 64; the gap is explained.

    “The gap is Site 214: three participants signed v5.0 on paper on 2 Oct. The tracker has them; EDC does not yet. The answer uses EDC until they are entered.”

  2. 02Just now

    “What is the target sample size?”

    The agents

    Lena types the question. The question router sends it to the documents of VLT-302, the document reader finds 9 passages and 4 statements of the fact, the data analyst reads the enrolment extract, and the version checker dates every statement before the answer writer starts. Each step shows as it runs.

    “Finding every statement of this in VLT-302's files…”

  3. 035 seconds later

    A fact card: 640, as of 18 September

    Answer writer

    The answer leads with the number: 640 participants to randomise, 3:1 — 480 veltrimab, 160 placebo — as of 18 Sep 2026, from Statistical analysis plan v3.0, section 9.2, page 21. 512 are randomised so far, 80% of the target. Under the card, every approved statement of the fact sits on one line, oldest to newest, with the passage behind each.

    Timeline: Analysis plan v2.0 · 600 · superseded → Protocol v4.0 synopsis · 600 · out of date → Decision D-024 · 640 · agrees → Analysis plan v3.0 · 640 · used.

  4. 04The flag

    The protocol synopsis still says 600

    Version checker

    Protocol v4.0 was approved on 14 Aug, 35 days before analysis plan v3.0. The blinded sample-size review of 11 Sep found pooled discontinuation of 11.8% — 57 of 483 randomised by 31 Aug — and decision D-024 on 16 Sep raised the target to 640, with the synopsis correction put in Amendment 4. One click opens the older passage at page 3, marked out of date.

    The version checker never answers from a superseded version, never hides a disagreement and never edits a source document — it flags it for its owner.

  5. 05One click

    Added to the Amendment 4 list

    Lena Ortiz · Study manager

    From the card, Lena clicks “Add to the Amendment 4 list”. A follow-up is created for her — add the synopsis sample size (600 → 640) to the Amendment 4 change list, all sites, due Oct 21 — and traced back to the question that raised it. The statement moves to “Correction asked”.

    “Follow-up created for Lena Ortiz — due Oct 21”

  6. 06Re-checked at 06:30

    Every out-of-date statement in one list

    Version checker

    Each morning, after the TMF index and the extracts arrive, every document is re-checked: today 1,284 documents, 6 new since yesterday. Five statements are listed with the fact, the out-of-date wording, the newest approved one, how much older it is, its owner and its status — from the CRA monitoring visit checklist still saying “verify 100% of pages” to a pharmacy card already corrected and sent to all 88 sites.

  7. 07Side by side

    The site guide that is 206 days behind

    Sam Patel · CRA, UK and Canada

    Sam asked about the Week 16 window at 07:31. The protocol says ± 3 days around Day 113; the site visit scheduling guide v1.0, issued in January before Amendment 2 narrowed it, still says ± 5 — and sites still print visit cards from it. Opened side by side, the two passages can be marked as explained or sent to Lena Ortiz to correct.

    “Every answer about this fact uses the newest approved statement until the older one is corrected.”

  8. 08Needs your check

    Low-confidence answers come to a person

    Lena Ortiz · Study manager

    Every question asked about VLT-302 is listed with who asked, whether it was answered from documents, data or both, and its confidence. Below 0.90, or where sources disagree without an explanation, the answer waits for her check: consent deviations this quarter came back at 0.71 — 17 in the CTMS log, 2 more in signed monitoring reports.

  9. 09The full answer

    Re-consent, site by site, with every source

    Lena Ortiz · Study manager

    Opening the re-consent answer shows the reasoning in full: Amendment 3 requires re-consent at the next scheduled visit after ethics approval; 81 of 88 sites have it; 371 of 438 participants there have signed v5.0. The 14 overdue are at Site 214 Warsaw, 131 Leeds and 305 Valencia. Sources, the plain-language steps and the read-only query sit beside it.

  10. 10Signed

    Filed to the TMF with an e-signature

    Lena Ortiz · Study manager

    Answers are working notes until a person files them. Lena files this one to TMF 01.01 Trial oversight as a study note, with the data as of CTMS 06:00 and EDC 05:30 on 7 Oct 2026, and signs with its meaning: “I confirm this answer is accurate for the data stated”.

    “Signed and filed to TMF 01.01 — the answer is now a study record”

Who it’s for

Built for everyone who answers study questions.

The same study, seen by the people who ask and answer its questions every day — what that looked like, and what it looks like now.

LO
Lena OrtizStudy manager, VLT-302 · files answers to the TMF
Study manager
Before
“I'm the study's human index — and I'm never sure I opened the latest version.” Answers 30+ questions a day from sites, CRAs and functional leads, and owns the amendments.
Now
Gets a fact card with its date, document and version, sees which older statement disagrees, and turns it into a correction in one click.
SP
Sam PatelCRA · UK and Canada
CRA
Before
“The site guide says one thing, the protocol another.” Prepares monitoring visits by checking windows, consent and deviations across documents.
Now
Asks in plain words, gets the protocol's window with its page, and sees the site guide flagged as out of date beside it.
PR
Priya RamanCRA · Poland and Germany
CRA
Before
“My tracker and EDC never agree on the same day.” Chases re-consent, remote-consent conditions and site actions.
Now
Sees EDC and the tracker side by side with the gap explained — three paper signatures at Site 214 not yet entered — and gets the follow-up.
MC
Dr. Maya ChenMedical monitor · dosing and eligibility questions
Medical monitor
Before
“I need the rule and the page, not a summary.” Answers dosing and eligibility questions from investigators.
Now
Gets the rule quoted from the protocol section and page, checked against the medical monitor FAQ she keeps.
OH
Omar HaddadData management lead · owns the extracts
Data management lead
Before
“Show me the query, then I'll trust the number.” Owns the extracts and query ageing.
Now
Every data answer shows its steps and the read-only query over blinded views, and every source shows its version and freshness.
Built on the engine

6 agents. Each with one job, and hard limits.

Six specialist agents route, read, query, date every version, answer and plan corrections; the study manager decides.

Question router

Reads the question, decides whether it needs documents, data or both, and picks the smallest set of study sources that can answer it, within the asker's site access.

  • Never routes to unblinded sources
  • The asker's site access is always applied
Study document reader

Searches the protocol, amendments, plans, manuals, minutes and decisions, current versions first, and returns every statement of the fact with document, version, page and section.

  • Every statement cites a passage
  • Uses a superseded version only when asked to compare, and says so
Study data analyst

Writes one read-only query per question over this morning's CTMS, EDC and blinded IRT extracts, explains each step in plain words and returns the rows used so they can be cited.

  • Read-only — never writes to any system
  • Blinded views only, filtered to the asker's sites
Version checker

Dates every statement behind an answer — documents by approval and version, data by extract time — uses the newest approved one, flags any still-current document that disagrees and explains gaps between data sources.

  • Never hides a disagreement
  • Never answers from a superseded version
  • Never edits a source document — only flags it
Answer writer

Writes the fact card and the plain-words answer: the number first, numbered citations, and a table or chart when the answer has more than three rows.

  • No claim without a citation
  • Plain words
Follow-up planner

Turns a gap in an answer into proposed actions for the right owner — the CRA for the site — with due dates from the next visit or the plan's deadline.

  • Proposes only — a person creates
  • Every action links its question
Study manager

Checks, files and decides. The agents propose; a named person decides.

Ask in plain words

Ask about the study in plain words

Ask about consent, visits and windows, queries, enrolment, dosing, drug supply, lab samples or site start-up — or ask it to filter a list or create a follow-up. Every answer points to its source.

Which sites still need re-consent for Amendment 3?

67 participants at 7 sites still need to sign ICF v5.0; 14 are overdue at three sites — 214 Warsaw (6), 131 Leeds (5) and 305 Valencia (3). Seven sites are still waiting for ethics approval.

Which study documents are out of date?

Two statements are open and one correction is under way: the target sample size (protocol synopsis 600, analysis plan v3.0 640), the Week 16 window (visit guide v1.0 ± 5 days, protocol v4.0 ± 3 days) and verification of other pages (CRA checklist v2.4 100%, monitoring plan v3.1 20%). Every answer uses the newest approved statement.

Show me the answers that need my check

Three answers are waiting: the consent-deviation count where sources disagree (Q-1043), the Week 16 window (Q-1041) and the temperature excursions (Q-1036). The Questions list is filtered to them.

Create a follow-up for the paper signatures at Site 214

Created: “Enter the 3 paper signatures from 2 Oct in EDC” for Priya Raman, Site 214, due Oct 8 — linked to Q-1042. Priya has been told by email.

Every screen

The working solution, as it ships.

13 screens from the working solution, on its sample data. Pick one to see it large.

SearchOne search bar over the study's documents, extracts and trackers, the latest fact cards, and what is out of date in the study files today.
Specialists at workRouter, document reader, data analyst, version checker and answer writer run in view, each with its time.
The fact cardThe value, the date it is true as of, the document, version and section, the out-of-date flag, the timeline of every statement and the supporting passages.
The older passageThe out-of-date statement opened at its page, with the newest approved statement named above it.
Follow-upsCorrections and actions by owner and due date — to do, in progress, done — each traced to the question that raised it.
Out-of-date statementsEvery fact two documents state differently: the older wording, the newest approved one, how much older, the owner and the status.
Side-by-side compareThe two passages next to each other, with mark as explained or ask the owner to correct it.
QuestionsEvery question asked, by whom, from documents, data or both, with its confidence and whether it needs a person's check.
The full answerHeadline numbers, the cited answer, the result table by site, and the sources, steps and query beside it.
File to the TMFThe TMF location, the data as-of time, the meaning of the signature and the password.
Study sourcesDocuments indexed, data extracts, superseded versions and the sources never read, each with version, owner and freshness.
DashboardQuestions answered, median time to answer, hours saved, where answers came from, the topics asked about and who is asking.
SettingsAccess, who files to the TMF, the morning re-check, which statement wins and how owners are told.
Governance

Cited, blinded, checked by a person, signed when filed.

Every claim cites its passage or rowsEach answer carries numbered citations to the document, version, page and section, or to the extract rows used, and opens at the exact passage with the sentence highlighted.
The newest approved statement winsSuperseded versions are history, never the answer — read only when a question asks to compare. A still-current document that disagrees is flagged with its age and the reason.
The blind is keptOnly blinded views are read. The IRT treatment allocation list, unblinded pharmacist dispensing logs and the data monitoring committee's closed reports are never read, and CRAs see only their own sites' data.
A person checks what is uncertainAn answer below 0.90 confidence, or one where sources disagree without an explanation, is shown as “Needs your check” and waits for a person.
Filed to the TMF only with an e-signatureAnswers are working notes until the study manager files them. Filing records the question, answer, sources, query and data timestamp as a study note, signed with its meaning.
Sources are flagged, never editedThe agents never change a source document; they flag it for its owner. Every search, flag, follow-up and status change is on the audit trail.
Configuration

Your study's rules, set once

What may be read, how answers are given, who can file and how out-of-date statements are handled are settings, per study.

SettingDefaultChoose from
Never read unblinded dataOnTreatment arm, kit-to-arm and closed-session sources are excluded
Use superseded document versionsOnly to compareOnly to compare · Never
Answer below this confidence goes to a person0.900.80 · 0.85 · 0.90
CRAs see only their own sites' dataOnData answers filtered to the asker's site access in CTMS
Filing an answer to the TMFStudy managerStudy manager · Study manager or medical monitor
Re-check every document each morning at06:3006:30 · 07:00 · 08:00
When two approved documents disagree, useThe newest approved statementThe newest approved statement · The protocol, then the newest plan
Send follow-ups toFollow-ups board and emailFollow-ups board and email · Follow-ups board only
Connections

Works with the files and systems a study already runs on

Protocol and amendmentsprotocol, synopsis, summaries of changes and consent forms, read in place from the TMF
Study plans and manualsstatistical analysis plan, monitoring, pharmacy, laboratory and deviation plans
Decision logs, minutes and trackersstudy decision log, signed minutes, CRA trackers, medical monitor FAQ
CTMSdaily read-only extract: sites, ethics approvals, enrolment, deviations
EDCdaily read-only extract: consent page, visits, queries
IRT, blindedkits, excursions and randomisation counts — never the treatment arm
What it changes

The difference, in numbers.

Every figure is labelled: a target the solution is built to, an estimate, a typical published result, or a proven one.

target
8.3s
median to a cited answer
By hand≈ 45 min
With agents8.3 s
estimated
30–60min
saved per question that crosses documents and data
typical
76%
of protocols are amended at least once — each leaves older statements behind
of protocols amended

“demo” = seen in the working solution, on its sample study data · “target” = the design goal, measured in the live solution · “estimated” = our estimate, based on the study team's own estimate of 30–60 minutes per cross-document question · “typical” = published figures (Tufts CSDD, Getz et al., Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science, 2024 — protocol amendments). People, studies, sites and companies named on this page are fictional — characters and sample data in the working solution.

Questions

What study teams ask us.

What is clinical study document search?

Search over a study's own files — protocol and amendments, plans, manuals, decision logs, minutes, trackers — and its CTMS, EDC and blinded IRT data, answered in plain words. Clinical Study Document Search returns each answer as a fact card: the value, the date it is true as of, and the document, version and section it came from, with the supporting passages.

How does it know which version of a document to use?

The version checker finds every approved statement of the fact, dates each one by approval and version — or by extract time for data — and uses the newest approved statement. Superseded versions are read only when a question asks to compare. A still-current document that disagrees is flagged with how much older it is.

What happens when two documents disagree?

The answer uses the newest approved statement and flags the other on the card and on the out-of-date list, with both passages side by side. The study manager decides whether it is corrected, explained or reopened, and one click turns it into a follow-up for its owner. Where data sources differ, the answer gives both numbers and explains the gap or sends it for a person's check.

Does it keep the study blind?

Yes. It reads blinded views only. Treatment allocation lists, unblinded pharmacist dispensing logs and closed data monitoring committee reports are never read, and data answers are filtered to the asker's site access, so CRAs see only their own sites.

Can it answer questions that need study data, not just documents?

Yes. The study data analyst writes one read-only query over this morning's CTMS, EDC and blinded IRT extracts, explains each step in plain words and cites the rows used. The rule from the document and the number from the data come back in one answer.

Does it change our documents or systems?

No. Every source is read in place and read-only. The agents never edit a source document; they flag it for its owner, and a person creates every follow-up.

Do people stay in control of the answers?

Yes. Answers are working notes until a person files them. Below 0.90 confidence, or where sources disagree without an explanation, an answer waits for a person's check, and filing to the TMF needs the study manager's e-signature with its meaning.

How long does it take to go live?

The Agentic Solution Engine builds and deploys it from your requirements and documents — your study files, TMF index and CTMS and EDC extracts — and it goes live once every quality gate has passed. We will walk you through it on your own study first.

See it on
your studies.

We'll run Clinical Study Document Search on a sample of your own study documents and extracts.