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Summary
ClinSpark has APIs which can be used by customers. Currently these are scoped for two use casesCertain product features and workflows are supported through the use of APIs. ClinSpark contains both private and partner API types. We define Private APIs in support of specific features and integrations with external systems such as SendGrid and Verified Clinical Trials. These also support proprietary functions of the system designed through use of the Agent and SparkPlug. We don’t expose private APIs or functions for customers to use.
Partner APIs however do exist to support use cases and features which are intended to be used by our customers. They are only accessible to customers of the product and are not available for public use. Currently, they are scoped for two purposes:
Integration with a customer recruitment website
Programmatic execution and retrieval of reports.
IQVIA can offer suggestions for how to use these APIs, however we cannot support or assist with implementation and ongoing support of customer-specific mechanisms that rely on them.
Costs associated with using APIs
APIs are enabled out-of-the-box. However, there may be a cost associated with the use of certain APIs.
The Recruit API may be disabled if not required.
Learning API Functions
Each of the API documentation pages contain information covering the scope and purpose of each interface. Additionally, there is an embedded Swagger UI client on the page with the purpose of allowing customers a simple interactive way to try out certain functions and learn how the API can be used. This video provides a quick demonstration on how to use the embedded functions.
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We expect encourage customers to first try and learn about API invocations with the Swagger UI client on this documentation site. Once you have successfully invoked the API with this client, you will find that it provides client bindings and command line invocation patterns that will work directly for integrations or other API clients/tooling.
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ClinSpark supports Basic HTTP (basic auth) and Bearer HTTP (token) authentication schemes.
Bearer HTTP tokens were introduced in version 23.3. Both auth schemes can be applied and used on API accounts.
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As customers upgrade to more recent versions of ClinSpark, they are encouraged to explore using API tokens and adopt use for API accounts accordingly. Support for Basic Authentication may be deprecated in a future release of ClinSpark, to be replaced with authentication schemes that meet stronger security standards and modern best practices. |
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We discourage the practice of customers creating, sharing, and soliciting use of integration user accounts that contain API role actions outside of site organization teams. |
Performance and Limitations
ClinSpark APIs were designed to allow customers to be reliant on them for common study recruitment and operational workflows. Some of those needs may be related to time sensitive tasks. Invoking endpoints programmatically may exceed the normal limitations imposed through using the user interface.
There are no request limits enforced or network throttling in place for API calls. However, this is an area under evaluation by the product team as more of our customers use the APIs; limits may be imposed in future.
To a certain extent, the performance of the APIs are based on the functions used. For example, the Report API allows for specifying one or more parameters as part of the request, which can influence the output to a specific set of subjects or timepoints in a study. Requests for fewer data points will result in a quicker retrieval of results. Additional performance considerations using the Report API can reviewed here: https://foundryhealth.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DOCS/pages/3709665444/Report+API#Performance
There may be additional limitations or performance implications to consider with a high volume of API requests. Customers are encouraged to reach out to IQVIA support teams on this topic to discuss and determine if there are performance risks associated with intended use.