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Development of a Modular Research Platform to Create Medical Observational Studies for Mobile Devices
Martin Zens1, Birgit Grotejohann2, Adrian Tassoni2
1Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Researchers can now create mobile medical studies without coding using a new modular online platform. This tool simplifies data collection for large-scale observational studies, enhancing medical research accessibility.
Area of Science:
- Medical research methodology
- Digital health technologies
- Mobile health (mHealth)
Background:
- Large-scale observational studies are crucial in medical research.
- Mobile device-based studies offer a promising new data source.
- Developing app-based studies requires significant programming expertise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a modular online platform for creating mobile medical studies.
- To enable researchers to build studies without advanced programming skills.
Main Methods:
- A three-component system: a web-based researcher platform, a platform-independent mobile app, and a separate healthcare professional login.
- Communication between components is facilitated by a shared database.
Main Results:
- A prototype research platform has been developed and is in beta testing.
- Simple questionnaire studies can be created and published rapidly.
- The platform's functionality and working principles are demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- A foundational modular research platform has been established.
- The benefits of a modular approach for mobile study development are highlighted.
- International collaboration is encouraged for future platform development.
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