How can potentially suitable study participants be identified more efficiently using routine clinical data? And how can digital recruitment support be designed in such a way that it can be used across different sites, is interoperable and is sustainable?
A joint workshop attended by representatives from the Data Integration Centres (DIZ) and the NUM Study Network (NUM SN) was held in Berlin on 11 September 2026 to address these questions. The focus was on the exchange of experiences between sites and the joint further development of approaches to digital recruitment support and automated pre-screening.
Building on existing preparatory work and experience from MIRACUM, discussions centred on how existing approaches can be further developed and transformed into interoperable solutions that take into account different local conditions and the requirements of various studies.
Key topics of the workshop included the requirements for digital recruitment support, an exchange of views on existing local pre-screening solutions and the practical experience gained from them, as well as collaborative work on a reference architecture. In addition, discussions centred on the role a reference implementation could play in conjunction with existing local solutions, and the criteria trials must meet to enable automated pre-screening based on routine clinical data.
Particular emphasis was placed on open dialogue between the participating sites. The aim is to pool existing expertise and experience in order to learn from one another, capitalise on synergies and jointly develop interoperable and sustainable approaches to study recruitment within the NUM.
The results and identified areas for action arising from the workshop will now be incorporated into the ongoing work of the NUM Study Network and fleshed out in collaboration with the participating partners. The aim is to use this exchange to identify concrete next steps for the further development of digital recruitment support.
Many thanks to all participants for the lively discussions, the experiences they shared and the constructive exchange! Special thanks go to MIRACUM for funding the workshop and thereby enabling this joint exchange to take place.