Several factors contribute to REDCap’s successful implementation in the clinical and translational research enterprise. Most important, the need for researcher-controlled data services and secure data collection, storage and export is a universal need for any single- or multi-center research study. The initial REDCap demonstration meeting provides an opportunity for project-specific informatics consultation concerning data collection and storage, data validation procedures, data security and logging requirements, and forms layout. The prototype testing and refinement workflow process ensures a team-based data definition strategy prior to study initiation, thereby improving the timeliness and overall quality of study data. The startup time required to launch a new project is short and almost entirely determined by researcher input in defining a structured study-specific data collection plan. After the initial researcher demonstration meeting, IC support for a single project typically requires less than 60 minutes over the life of a study (including allowances for mid-study CRF modifications when necessary). The Vanderbilt, University Office of Research Informatics offers REDCap services at no charge for scientific research teams and considers the modest personnel investment (< 0.5 FTE for universal training and support) a sound investment ensuring researchers have ready access to centralized resources compliant with HIPAA best practices.
