RT service highlight: REDCap

IU’s Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) is a secure web-based platform designed to support data collection and data management for research, operations support, and quality improvement projects. Easy-to-use, intuitive features allow REDCap users to build and manage online surveys and databases with no programming experience required.

REDCap is available to IU researchers as a result of IU’s partnership in the REDCap Consortium. Sponsored by the UITS Research Technologies Advanced Biomedical IT Core (ABITC), IU REDCap is one of several research-related collaboration tools offered by the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (Indiana CTSI).

Use case: IUSM researchers study impact of viral infections in infants with cystic fibrosis

Researchers at the IU School of Medicine, led by Drs. Stephanie Davis and Ashley Deschamp, are seeking to improve understanding of respiratory disease in infants born with cystic fibrosis. The study enrolled 70 infants between the ages of 3 and 5 months to participate in the observational study at four centers, and used REDCap to collect data through clinic visits and weekly phone calls over the course of a year.

“Creating a REDCap database and enabling it to do a myriad of different things for the research team (e.g., sending out study reminders and/or questionnaires automatically, displaying questions that need to be answered only when very specific conditions are met, etc.) is extremely easy and can be done by a research coordinator, an investigator, or another member of the study team without any coding experience.”

Joseph Hatch
Research Specialist, Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Use case: Secure access to REDCap data through the API Token Vault

Until recently, the process of obtaining a REDCap API involved a twelve-page report to create and use a REDCap token. Understandably, this document was a deterrent for many potential users. Bob Davis, director of clinical data management at the IU School of Medicine Department of Biostatistics, and his team (shown from left to right: Steve Brown, Greg Puetz, and Larry Riggen) created a technological solution, the API Token Vault. To meet stringent security requirements, the tokens are encrypted, accessible only through integrated authentication, and visible only to their user-owners.

Use case: Expanding research infrastructure with REDCap

From the digital humanities and bioinformatics to data privacy and patient surveys, the Supercomputing for Everyone Series (S4ES) connects IU’s research community with the possibilities of REDCap. In addition to in-person training and online courses, IU’s REDCap support team develops tools like the REDCap ETL for data extraction, and shares these developments with over four thousand consortium members.

“Supporting over 10,000 total users with over 14,000 projects, IU’s REDCap is a popular choice for data-driven research. This year, over 200 people attended the weekly online office hours where REDCap administrators answer questions on how best to use REDCap to maximize data quality and management.“

Catherine Bauer-Martinez
REDCap Application Administrator​, Advanced Biomedical IT Core, IUPUI