Which statement best describes quality assurance activities?

• A. Establishing processes to prevent quality problems.
• B. Conducting post-trial data cleaning.
• C. Implementing systematic processes to prevent quality issues.
• D. Auditing financial records.

Answer: (C)

Quality assurance is about preventing quality problems by designing and applying systematic, repeatable processes across the study. The best description emphasizes both the preventive mindset and the ongoing, structured approach QA uses to keep quality consistent throughout the trial. Simply establishing processes to prevent quality problems is related but sounds like a one-time setup rather than the ongoing, integrated practice QA represents. Post-trial data cleaning is a data-management task done after data collection, not QA. Auditing financial records isn’t about ensuring trial quality and doesn’t reflect QA activities in clinical research.