Researchers understandably want the people they approach to be eligible for their study.
But that does not necessarily mean searching medical records against every detailed inclusion and exclusion criterion before anybody is contacted.
The report asks researchers to consider whether all of that information really needs to be accessed at the screening stage.
Health records may be incomplete, inaccurate or out of date. Searching only for people whose records show that they meet a long list of precise criteria can exclude people who may actually be eligible. It can also work against efforts to make research more representative.
In some circumstances, it may therefore be more appropriate to search using a smaller number of broader criteria and give people enough information to decide whether the study might be relevant to them, with detailed eligibility confirmed later.
This does not mean changing the study's eligibility criteria. It means thinking about whether every criterion needs to be applied to confidential patient information before somebody can even be told that the research exists.
For example, a first search might identify people with a broad condition or treatment history who may find a study relevant. It may not be necessary at that stage to check every detailed inclusion and exclusion criterion in the health record, particularly where those details can be discussed with the person later before they decide whether to take part.
The same principle applies to unnecessary gatekeeping.
Decisions about whether somebody should receive information about research should not routinely be based on assumptions about whether they will want to take part.
People should generally be given the information they need to make that decision for themselves.