Identity at a Distance
Part of Decentralized Trials (DCT) Training: Verifying Who You Are Talking To.
About 2 minutes. Free, in your language, no account needed.
You cannot recognize somebody you have never met
At a site, identity is largely solved by the fact that a person arrives and is known to the team. Remotely, you have a face on a screen and a voice.
Identity verification therefore has to be deliberate, and it has to be recorded.
Use the study's method, every time
Most decentralized studies specify how identity is confirmed: a set of identifiers, a photo-ID check, a platform-verified login, or a combination.
Whatever it is, do it at every visit. The temptation to skip it for somebody you have spoken to five times is exactly where the control fails.
Two identifiers, not one
The same rule as anywhere else. One matching field cannot distinguish between two participants whose identifiers differ by a digit.
Ask for identifiers the participant would know and a stranger would not, and that are not visible on the screen or in the calendar invite.
Be alert to somebody answering for them
This is the decentralized version of the misidentified sample. A family member who knows the answers, helping, with no intent to deceive.
If the responses are coming from off-screen, say so and ask to hear from the participant directly. Then record that you did.
Verify before anything that matters
Identity is confirmed before consent, before any assessment, and before discussing anything confidential.
Confirming at the end of a call is confirming after you have already disclosed.
When identity cannot be confirmed
Do not proceed with the visit. Do not discuss the study.
Reschedule, explain why, and record it. This feels awkward and it is the correct outcome. A visit conducted with an unverified person is unusable at best, and a confidentiality breach at worst.
Record the method, not just the outcome
"Identity confirmed" is thin. "Identity confirmed against participant ID and date of birth, plus platform login" is evidence.