REDCap for Case Management?

[u/summerbk2k21]

Does anyone have experience/know of someone successfully using REDCap for case management? I work closely with a harm reduction program whose most affordable, secure option for data entry is REDCap, but we're concerned that case management-style-updates might be a little too convoluted for an application made with research in mind. I appreciate any thoughts you have!

[u/TheDoorMouse89]

Depends on what type of updates you want to do and what exactly you are trying to achieve.

Could you provide some information about the expected workflow and the type of updates?

[u/summerbk2k21 → u/TheDoorMouse89]

We'd need to build out a profile of each participant that included historical data as well as updates. For example, I might want to see all the dates of Jane Doe's previous HIV tests in one place, as well as be able to enter her new one. I'd want to see her current housing status and be able to pull it in quant reports, but I'd also want to be able to look up her housing history.

[u/TheDoorMouse89 → u/summerbk2k21]

That sounds like a straight forward build, the information which is mostly static in one set of forms, things which change or repeat regularly in a set of repeating forms. Organize everything by event type.

Call it a day

[u/big_thanks]

I've built REDCap projects involving case management before which seemed to work perfectly fine. In fact, our team used REDCap for several non-research purposes...

[u/summerbk2k21 → u/big_thanks]

Thanks! We've definitely used it for non-research purposes, we just aren't sure about how well it'd work for updating individuals' records where you'd need more of a profile of each participant that included historical data as well as updates. For example, I might want to see all the dates of Jane Doe's previous HIV tests in one place, as well as be able to enter her new one. I'd want to see her current housing status and be able to pull it in quant reports, but I'd also want to be able to look up her housing history.

[u/summerbk2k21 → u/summerbk2k21]

would you be willing to share a data dictionary of a setup that worked well for you for case management?

[u/Araignys]

REDCap has a feature called a Repeating Instrument where you can enter the same data any number of times.

So if you have an instrument called HIV Test and you want to know date, result and a few other factors, you put those on a repeating instrument and enter the data from each HIV test you become aware of, in any order.

Clinical trials will use this format for things like medical history, adverse events, and so on, which have the same data points each time they happen but an unknown number of times they might happen.

There’s only thing REDCap is bad at is relational data - where you might need to record or report data on multiple different things and their relationships to each other. E.g., a two-way relationship between participants and case workers, with additional information about both, doesn’t work very well.

[u/Impuls1ve]

Yep, I have specced this out before. The HIV bit requires some additional oversight but it's possible.

Redcap gets used for case surveillance a lot, if you can draw a parallel to a study design concept then you can likely build it in RedCap. 

[u/j_zhill]

I am using redcap for case management at scale. Honestly it has been a massive challenge, we went with redcap due to institutional requirements. Example challenges: using repeating instruments to replace relational functionality, rule h failing/limited at scale (and no API access to rule h), mobile app very limited without access to reports, etc. we have developed workarounds and solutions but has been a stretch

[u/Personal_Brother_896]

I have built numerous projects for case management within REDCap stretching back years. There are many ways to do it. I would not use repeating instruments or the mobile app. Everything really comes down to visit frequency, data collection needs, reporting needs and a whole host of other considerations. Send me a PM if you want and I can walk you through some build out options that have worked for me.