Effectively certifying raters without the administrative burden
This is the latest in a multi-part series on user flows in Willis eCOA. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss out.
When we spoke with sites prior to building Willis eCOA, rater training was the most consistent complaint we heard. It wasn’t just an administrative hurdle that delayed site activation; it often failed to actually educate or evaluate the raters.
For many trials, training has become a box-checking exercise that creates overhead without protecting endpoint quality.
With Willis eCOA, we solved both the operational and clinical challenges at the same time.
We replaced the standard, disjointed training process with a self-guided, three-step flow. It ensures raters are properly evaluated before certification, without getting stuck behind administrative blockers.
Watch the video below for a quick demo, or scroll down for a breakdown of the three steps.
Step 1 - Provide experience
Raters input their clinical experience when they set up their profile. This includes education, licensure, years working with specific clinical populations, and previous scale administrations. They can also upload third-party certificates, keeping all credentials centralized.
When a rater is added to a study and assigned a scale, Willis eCOA automatically checks their profile against the sponsor’s minimum criteria. Raters must meet these baseline requirements to proceed.
Step 2 - Complete training
Assigned raters see a list of required courses on their My Certifications page. Training is hosted natively on the platform. There is no third-party Learning Management System (LMS) or separate login required.
Step 3 - Pass evaluations
We use two types of evaluations to ensure clinical competency.
First is a scoring evaluation. Raters score pre-recorded assessments, and the system compares their results directly against expert scores.
Second is an interview evaluation. Raters administer the scale to the Willis virtual patient—an AI-powered tool that replicates the symptoms of a study participant with clinical validity. To pass, the rater must conduct the interview and score the assessment correctly.
Rater certification complete
Once a rater meets the experience criteria, finishes the courses, and passes the evaluations, the system automatically updates their status to certified. They are instantly cleared to administer scales.