REDCap — Research Electronic Data Capture

Overview

REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure, web-based platform for building and managing online surveys and databases for research and clinical data collection. Developed at Vanderbilt University in 2004 and supported by a global consortium of more than 7,000 institutional partners in 159 countries as of 2024, REDCap is widely used for eCRF (electronic Case Report Form) design, longitudinal study management, survey distribution, and clinical data warehousing in academic clinical research.

Key Features

Data Collection

• eCRF design uses a drag-and-drop form builder with 18+ field types including text, numbers, dates, dropdowns, calculated fields, and file uploads.
• Branching logic enables conditional field display based on responses.
• Validation provides built-in range checks, date formats, and regex patterns.
• A public-facing survey mode supports participant self-report.
• Repeating instruments support longitudinal data collection across multiple visits.

Data Management

• An audit trail captures the complete change history for regulatory compliance.
• Data access groups provide role-based access control for multi-site studies.
• Field-level permissions allow granular read and edit rights per user.
• Data locking enables record locking for completed CRFs.
• An e-Consent module supports electronic informed consent.

Import / Export

• Exports to CSV, Excel, SPSS, SAS, Stata, R, and CDISC ODM XML are supported.
• Imports are available from Excel and CSV templates.
• The REDCap API is a REST API for programmatic data access and integration.
• A FHIR endpoint (REDCap on FHIR) enables HL7 FHIR interoperability.

Clinical Research Tools

• A built-in Randomisation module supports clinical trials.
• Scheduling supports appointment tracking and visit management.
• Clinical Data Interoperability Services (CDIS) pulls data from EHR systems via HL7 FHIR.
• Over 500 community-developed external modules extend the platform’s functionality.

REDCap Consortium and Deployment

REDCap is free to non-profit institutions that join the REDCap consortium (https://www.project-redcap.org). Each institution hosts its own REDCap server; the consortium provides software updates, documentation, and community support. In France, AP-HP operates REDCap instances for clinical data collection across its hospitals. ECRIN operates a GDPR-compliant REDCap instance available to ECRIN-supported multinational clinical studies.

Standards Alignment

REDCap exports to CDISC ODM (Operational Data Model) XML, complementing SDTM/ADaM pipelines. REDCap on FHIR enables bidirectional HL7 FHIR EHR data exchange. REDCap data can be mapped to OMOP CDM via ETL pipelines.

Connections

• Interoperates with: CDISC (ODM XML export), HL7 FHIR (CDIS module), OMOP CDM (downstream ETL)

Resources

• https://www.project-redcap.org (REDCap consortium, software and documentation)
• https://redcap.vanderbilt.edu (Vanderbilt REDCap home)
• https://projectredcap.org/resources/videos/ (training videos)
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7254481/ (Harris et al. 2019, consortium model paper)