Clinical research coordinator (CRC)

What does Clinical research coordinator (CRC) mean in clinical research?

The CDISC Glossary defines a clinical research coordinator as a qualified study staff member who manages the participation of subjects according to the study protocol. CRCs coordinate communication among the subject, investigator and sponsor, and their duties may include screening, enrollment, monitoring of potential participants and informed consent.^⁠[1] The investigator can delegate these activities to the coordinator but keeps responsibility for them.^⁠[2]

Coordinators sit where most enrollment is won or lost. A 2024 DIA Global Forum article co-authored by Tufts CSDD researchers cites an estimate that 69% of patients identified and interested in participating are never pre-screened.^⁠[3] That gap is usually a capacity problem: chart review, phone tag and scheduling compete with study visits, data entry and queries for the same hours.

Practical note: measure where coordinator time goes before adding tools or staff. If chart review and first-contact calls take most of the week, those are the steps Identify and Engage are built to take on, with patients handed back to the coordinator whenever a person is needed.