ECOS

Synonym(s):

Ethics and Compliance Online System

 


Jointly developed by SingHealth and NHG, the Ethics and Compliance Online System (ECOS) is a one-stop solution to support the research lifecycle from Study Initiation to Completion, enabling a more efficient management of research portfolios and ethics applications. ECOS is accessible to both internal and external users. The ECOS includes the following modules:
 

 

Account Registration

New users must register for an ECOS account before they can access the system.  Click here for the account registration guide.

IRB

All new IRB applications will be managed via ECOS. All ongoing studies was migrated from iSHaRe to ECOS. 

For more information, please click here for IRB Submissions and here for IRB Resources.

Minimum Training

Researchers who conduct Human Subject Research must meet the minimum requirements stipulated.

Researchers would be required to submit their minimum training certifications under the User Profile page.  After the submission, the institution's Minimum Training Secretariat would complete the check and issue the researchers with the label of the type of studies that the researchers can conduct.  The table below shows the training certifications required for the different type of studies. 

 

 

Clinical Research Management System (CRMS)

Researchers can utilise this new research toolkit to record, plan and track the administrative activities of a clinical research study, e.g. regulatory authority submissions and outcomes, key contact personnel, funding and agreement information, milestones achieved, recruitment progress, research participant status and visit planning.  The CRMS module also functions as a user management system to control the access of Study Team Members, Study Administrators and Study Sponsors to the CRMS and/or IRB module.  Data entered in the CRMS can be extracted for trending and reporting purposes at the site, study, department, institution and/or cluster level.  Researchers are strongly encouraged to take full advantage of this module to maintain a good oversight of their clinical research projects. 

Compliance

For research regulated under the scope of Human Biomedical Research Act (HBRA), Suspected Offences or Contraventions (SOC) and Serious Adverse Events (SAE) shall be reported to MOH. Deviations & Non-Compliances (DNC) and SAEs that are reported to the IRB will also be reviewed in the Compliance module. If the event is reportable to MOH, the MOH reporting forms will be triggered for completion in ECOS.
 

For research conducted in SingHealth, the PI Self-Assessment Form (PISAF) for PI to assess the extent of compliance in accordance to required law, regulations and institution policies will be completed on ECOS.

Quality (Monitoring and Audit) 

The Quality module incorporates the Monitoring and Audit functions.  With this module available on ECOS, Monitoring and Audit process workflows will be carried out by the relevant individuals involved in the monitoring/auditing of the research. Related activities such as visit planning/confirmation, monitoring plan and monitoring/audit report generation, as well as monitoring/audit findings and follow-up can all be done on one platform. 

ECOS-Related Training Materials

The SingHealth Research Integrity, Compliance and Ethics (RICE) hosted a series of trainings in preparation for the launch of ECOS.

Training Materials
The New IRB Application Form and Minimum Training Requirements Download
Navigating the Ethics & Compliance Online System (ECOS) Download
Navigating the New IT Platform: ECOS- Clinical Research Management System (CRMS) Download
Navigating the Compliance Module: DNC & SAE Review by RI Download
Navigating the Monitoring Module Download
Navigating the PI Self-Assessment Form (PISAF) Download

Questions & Answers from the following trainings:

  • The New IRB Application Form and Minimum Training Requirements (8, 13 and 21 Mar 2024 in SingHealth, KKH and CGH respectively)
  • Navigating the Ethics & Compliance Online System (23, 26 and 30 Apr 2024 in KKH, CGH and SingHealth respectively)
Download
Mastering IRB Submissions: Key Points to Note for Effective Response Download

 

  • Recordings (Kindly note that these are available for SingHealth staff only, please search for training title on the e-learning portal for self-enrolment. Click here for self-enrolment instructions)
Course Name Course Description
The New IRB Application Form and Minimum Training Requirements
  • Minimum Training requirements for researchers
  • Revision to application form
  • Preparation of the form in advance for submission
Navigating the Ethics & Compliance Online System (ECOS)
  • Overview of ECOS, General Functions & Minimum Training Certificates Submission
  • IRB Submission Process
  • IRB Migrated Study
  • Clinical Research Management System
  • DNC & SAE Review by Research Institution (RI) for HBRA Studies
  • Navigating the Monitoring Module
  • Navigating the PI Self-Assessment Form (PISAF)
  • System Demo
 
Questions?
For ECOS-related questions, contact us here.