The process of installing REDCap, a web based database supporting biomedical research: the first year.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Clinical Research Management
• Data Curation Technologies

Background:

• Clinical and research data management is crucial for patient care and healthcare planning.
• REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a web-based data curation tool developed at Vanderbilt University.
• The University of the Witwatersrand required a cost-effective data management solution and installed REDCap in August 2012.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the installation and support of REDCap at an institution with limited IT capacity.
• To analyze user uptake of REDCap during its first year of implementation.
• To provide insights for other institutions considering REDCap adoption.

Main Methods:

• Reviewed staffing, installation costs, infrastructure, and user requests for REDCap.
• Consulted with legal and ethics committees regarding the REDCap user agreement.
• Analyzed user numbers and project records before and after a training workshop.

Main Results:

• REDCap installation costs were under $9000, utilizing existing staff.
• Eighty-one users registered in the first year; post-training, user numbers increased by 59 in one month, reaching 140 active users.
• Custom REDCap applications were developed through collaboration between clinicians and developers.

Conclusions:

• REDCap was successfully installed and maintained at a limited cost.
• A small, skilled support team can manage multiple REDCap users efficiently.
• End-user training demonstrably increased user numbers, project creation, and production-level projects.