How we review every project before anyone is invited

Before a project reaches participants or network partners, two people at TechNurse review the client, purpose, compensation and data handling. Recruiting starts only after approval.

Report a concern about a project

The review at a glance

✓
Every project
No approval, no recruiting
before start
no shortcuts
✓
Two-person review
Review and approval by two people
2 people
per project
✓
Knock-out criteria without exceptions
One no means no approval
no discretion
on knock-out criteria
=
Approval
Only then does recruiting start
documented
in the project file
Our principles

Six principles for every project

Every project must meet all six before we contact participants or network partners.

Real client, real question

We know every client, even when an agency sits in between. Every project answers a concrete development, evaluation, care or research question.

No hidden advertising

Projects must not have a sales, launch or lead generation goal. The driver is never marketing or sales.

Compensation by effort

We compensate the actual time spent, based on our Fair Market Value methodology. There are no special fees and no bonuses, and compensation never depends on prescriptions, purchases, recommendations or results.

Everything before you commit

Task, duration, location, compensation and client or purpose are stated in the invitation before anyone agrees to take part.

Data only for the project purpose

We process patient data only with its own legal basis, consent and safeguards. Storage, sharing and deletion are limited to the project purpose.

Participation stays participation

Names and statements are not used as testimonials, and no one is contacted for sales purposes after the project.

What we do not accept

Projects we turn down

If any of these applies, there is no approval.

Knock-out criteria
✕
Projects whose actual goal is sales, market launch or lead generation
✕
Compensation linked to prescriptions, purchases, recommendations or results
✕
Observational studies and registries without a scientific question, without public registration or without a commitment to publish the results
✕
Observational studies that influence treatment or prescribing decisions
✕
Clinical trials with an investigational product or protocol-determined treatment (currently not part of our offering)
✕
Requests where the client wants to remain anonymous, even towards TechNurse

We require registration and publication only for observational studies and registries. Usability tests, interviews, advisory boards and market research, for example on brand perception, are not studies in this sense. The principles above apply to them.

Process

How the review works

1

Commission

The client commissions the project and submits the documents.

2

Review

Two people review the project against our checklist. It contains knock-out criteria and further checks depending on the project type.

3

Decision

Approval, query with a deadline, or rejection. If there is a query, recruiting stays blocked until everything is resolved.

4

Ongoing review

If the purpose, target group, method or product status changes, we review again. The same applies when participants or network partners raise concerns.

We file the checklist, rationale and evidence in the project file, as part of our ISO 9001:2015 quality management.

Observational studies and registries

Why studies through TechNurse are different

This section applies only to scientific observational studies and registries involving patients. It does not concern usability tests, interviews or market research.

In observational studies, physicians treat patients as they would in everyday practice, and the study only observes. We accept such studies if, in addition:

+
The treatment decision is made independently of the study and before enrolment.
+
The study is publicly registered, and the results are published regardless of the outcome.
+
An ethics vote or ethics consultation and required notifications are in place where applicable.
+
Physicians are paid per study task based on time spent, not per prescription and without a minimum number of enrolments.
+
Patient data stays with the study sponsor. TechNurse only sees which tasks a practice has completed.
+
Physicians can withdraw at any time without disadvantage.
!
Clinical trials with an investigational product or protocol-determined treatment are currently not part of our offering.
Network partners and participants

What this means for you

For network partners

Professional associations, practice networks, patient organisations

✓
Before every forwarding, you receive a short brief: client or industry, purpose, effort and compensation.
✓
You decide per project whether to forward it, and you can decline without giving a reason.
✓
Our forwarding texts contain no product advertising, and we only forward projects that fit your target group.
✓
If you raise concerns, we review the project again before any further invitations go out.

For participants

Physicians, nursing, therapy, patients

✓
All participants are identity-verified, so clients know they are talking to real professionals.
✓
You only commit once task, duration, location, compensation and client or purpose are fixed.
✓
Your compensation depends on your qualification and the time spent, not on your opinion or your prescriptions.
✓
You take part in projects for at most 20 hours per quarter, so it stays a small side activity.
✓
You can withdraw at any time. We use your data only for the respective project.
For clients

The documents we need

Depending on the project type, further documents may be required.

Always

✓
Project description or briefing, screener, discussion guide or task description
✓
Privacy information for participants
✓
Confirmation that there will be no testimonials and no follow-up contact for sales purposes

For tests with products or in a clinical setting

✓
Risk description and required approvals (ethics, institution)

For observational studies and registries

✓
Protocol or synopsis, registration number
✓
Ethics vote and notification confirmations, where applicable
✓
Study annex for physicians (inclusion criteria, documentation, handling of adverse events, confidentiality)

We sign an NDA and a master agreement (TMA) where the project requires it.

Does a project seem odd to you?

Write to us at support@tech-nurse.com. Every report triggers a new review of the project. We will get back to you within 3 working days.

Report a concernFMV methodology
Quality and evidence

What stands behind the review

Certified to ISO 9001:2015 (TÜV SÜD)
Identity verification of all participants
Every review documented in the project file

This page describes our review criteria. It does not replace a legal assessment of individual projects.