Paper CRFs mean transcription, illegible entries, lost pages and queries weeks after the visit. Moving to eCRFs fixes that, but only if you redesign rather than scan. Upload your existing CRFs and let AI draft the electronic version for review.
Free sandbox · No credit card · 21 CFR Part 11 aligned
Paper diary · week 3
Filled in when?
Digital diary · week 3
Every entry server-timestamped
Key points
What changes
Redesign, do not replicate
Paper forms are designed around paper's limits: every possible question printed on the page because there is no skip logic, free-text boxes because there is no dropdown, instructions like "if yes, go to question 12" because the form cannot hide question 12. Replicating that layout electronically keeps every limitation and adds none of the benefits.
The better approach is to treat the paper CRF as a specification of what data to collect, then build each form the way an electronic form should work. The eCRF design guide covers the rules; the short version is one concept per field, question types that match the data, units fixed, and checks where they matter.
Start with an inventory of every paper form and the visits it is used at. Mark each field as needed for analysis, safety, regulatory or operational reasons, and drop what is left. Group what remains into single-purpose forms, identify the log forms (AEs, con meds, deviations), and then build. Standard forms such as demographics, vital signs and adverse events can start from templates rather than from the paper.
Inventory paper forms and visits
23 paper pages across 9 visits
Keep, drop or merge each field
41 fields dropped as unused
Upload CRFs for AI drafting
PDF and DOCX, reviewed before saving
Add checks and skip logic
Test with sample data, then approve
AI drafting
Capture's AI form builder reads an uploaded file (PDF, DOCX, CSV or XLSX) or a description and drafts the questions, answer choices and lab tables. You review every field, change what needs changing and apply it. Nothing is saved until you do, and unrecognised items are flagged rather than guessed.
Question form
CRF or ePRO
Lab table
Analytes, units, ranges
1. Systolic blood pressure
Required · Number · mmHg · 0 dp
2. Diastolic blood pressure
Required · Number · mmHg · 0 dp
3. Pulse rate
Required · Number · beats/min
4. Body temperature
Required · Number · °C · 1 dp
5. Position during measurement
Required · Sitting, Supine, Standing
Ongoing studies
If a study already has participants on paper, choose a cutover date after which all new data is entered electronically. Data already on paper stays on paper as the original record; if it is later entered into the eCRF for analysis, document it as transcription from paper source, with the paper retained. Every entry and correction in Capture is attributed and timestamped from that point on.
Free sandbox, no credit card. Nothing is saved until you review it.
Go-live
Kept, merged or dropped with a reason.
Tested with sample data; only approved forms reach the casebook.
Blank eCRF PDF exported if the ethics committee needs to see the change.
Short hands-on session and updated completion guidelines.
Clarify what remains source (clinic notes, paper originals) and what is entered directly.
SDV scope and remote review replace binder checks where appropriate.
eCRFs remove transcription, catch errors at entry with edit checks, keep a field-level audit trail of every change, and give sponsors real-time visibility of the data.
Capture's AI form builder drafts questions from uploaded PDF or DOCX CRFs, or from CSV and XLSX data dictionaries. A person reviews and applies every field.
No. Keep the data points but redesign the format with skip logic, coded choices, fixed units and calculated fields.
The paper remains the original record. If it is entered into the eCRF, document it as transcription from paper source and retain the originals.
With AI drafting, most of the time goes into design decisions and testing rather than typing. Simple studies can be converted in days.
Yes. The free sandbox includes the AI form builder and every feature, with no credit card.
Keep exploring
How to design an eCRF
The design rules to apply.
Software to build CRFs
The builder behind the conversion.
eCRF templates
Start standard forms from templates.
How to digitize consent forms
The other paper to replace.
What is a CRF?
Case report forms explained.
eCRF software
Data entry, verification and locking.
Upload a CRF, review the draft and go live when ready. Free sandbox.