by Jan Cheetham
REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) and OnCore (Online Collaborative Environment) are clinical data management tools supported by the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. See table for a comparison of the features of the two tools.
These systems are used by researchers who conduct clinical trials in the School of Medicine and Public Health and in other units. OnCore is required for some types of clinical protocols. The two systems are designed for use with clinical research data, including identifiable information about subjects. In both systems, data is entered in forms. OnCore provides standard forms for managing clinical trials that can be customized by ICTR staff. REDCap users create their own forms and these can be used to collect survey data. Supporting files and documents in various formats can be also be uploaded to both systems.
Security
Both the OnCore and REDCap systems are HIPAA compliant, employing secure networks, architectures, and appliances such as firewalls, routers, and gateways for routing data. Data in the systems are encrypted and all actions are tracked and audited. In addition, access to data centers is restricted to authorized personnel only.
Sharing
Both systems allow access by researchers at multiple study sites. Access rights can be specified for each user, to limit access to personal health information fields to specific individuals, or to allow only some users to enter data and others to electronically sign/verify and lock records.
Tracking Changes/Versions
The audit trail for OnCore is not complete for all consoles within the system. The EDC system does have a decent audit trail for data entered into forms and each individual subject can be printed. But there is not a summary export of the full audit trail for all subjects.
Data Documentation
Both systems allow upload of supporting documents describing the data and collection methods, such as data dictionaries, code books, protocols, etc. OnCore has a general location to upload Protocol documents, but data cannot be imported into OnCore like REDCap.
Data Quality Controls
In both systems, forms can include several measures that enhance the accuracy/validity of data entered in forms. These include field notes describing allowed data values and field validation settings that limit data entry to specified ranges of values. Data quality rules can also be applied to search for missing values and empty fields in forms. In addition, data records can be verified and locked.
Exporting
Both systems allow export of data in a variety of formats for use in statistical software, such as Excel, SAS, SPSS, and others.
Information updated 8/2/17 by Allan Barclay with assistance from ICTR.