Supporting rapid innovation in research data capture and management: the REDCap external module framework

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Informatics
• Clinical Research Technology
• Software Engineering for Research

Background:

• The REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) platform is widely used for clinical research data management.
• Customization of REDCap functionality is often needed to meet specific project requirements.
• A standardized and secure method for developing and sharing custom features was lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a robust and secure framework for creating and sharing custom features within REDCap.
• To enable project-specific custom functionality through external modules.
• To facilitate the dissemination of these custom features across the REDCap Consortium.

Main Methods:

• Development of the External Module (EM) Framework in collaboration with REDCap Consortium members.
• Provision of guidance and standard processes for developers on functionality, compatibility, and security.
• Implementation of the REDCap Repository of External Modules (Repo) for easy sharing.

Main Results:

• Since 2017, 356 external modules have been published to the Repo by developers from 59 institutions.
• These modules are utilized in 29,485 projects across 2,107 institutions in 67 countries.
• Features from 22 external modules have been integrated into the core REDCap code, benefiting over 7,700 members globally.

Conclusions:

• The EM Framework empowers developers to create, test, and deploy custom REDCap features.
• It provides a mechanism for distributing these features to other REDCap administrators worldwide.
• The framework has significantly enhanced innovation and dissemination of electronic data capture solutions globally.