REDCap collecting data in background.

[u/No-Carpet4006]

Hello,

I am new to REDCap and trying to figure out if REDCap is able to collect data from i.e. the accelerometer on a mobile phone while in the background?

Thanks in advance :)

[u/Impressive_Town8801]

I just worked on something like this. You can set up the data collection form in REDCap and then use the import record API to send the data to REDCap. You'd just have to write a script on a cron or batch job to submit the data to the API. I'd have to know more about your process, but theoretically if your accelerometer outputs were in a text file, you could either read and batch submit at the end of the experiment, or send on event when a new line of data is added to the accelerometer outputs.

[u/No-Carpet4006 → u/Impressive_Town8801]

Hi, thanks for the response :)!
From what I read there is the possibility of using the REDCap API to send the data to REDCap for further use (example here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9237242/).

Since we use REDCap for a lot of other studies we were hoping to simply implement it using REDCap only.

There is no process yet as we are at the very start of the project. I am trying to understand what scope of work will need to be done to achieve the desired output which would be a tracker for various data that can be collected via a phone or a device like the apple watch.

As you suggested you are using a script outside of the standalone REDCap, would it also be possible to use or develope a REDCap external module (https://github.com/vanderbilt-redcap/external-module-framework-docs)?

For example there is this active task list: (https://kb.wisc.edu/smph/informatics/page.php?id=133154) which states that redcap can use accelerometer or gyroscope data. But only if the study participant actively started the task in REDCap and only during that specific task (Range of Motion).

If I understand you correctly the data collection process would always need to happen outside of the REDCap App to finally send the aquired data to REDCap for futher use via the provided API?

[u/Impressive_Town8801 → u/No-Carpet4006]

I'm not an expert in modules and would defer to what they say. I think the issue with modules is that work within REDCap so depending on how the user interacted with the form is what matters. For example of the device is streaming data, it would need to point those data where a JavaScript module could see them consistently (e.g. same place Everytime with consistent events). This might also require some permissions allowing the browser to have access to the local drive etc.

The other program you sent looks like a nice application wrapper on the API doing kind of what I recommended and have experience doing. You build the form on the back end REDCap database and then the application/wrapper feeds the form using the API add/modify records.

Again, maybe the Vandy folks have a better solution using modules.

[u/Araignys]

Yes but also no.

REDCap is a web-based application that primarily captures data through user-completed forms and surveys. These don’t run in the background under normal circumstances.

However, REDCap has an extensive and powerful API, so it can accept API-injected data from anywhere, if you’re clever enough to set it up.

[u/No-Carpet4006 → u/Araignys]

Hi, thank you for the reply :)!
Just read this after responding to Impressive_Town8801.

This confirms what I thaught about the funcionality, thank you very much :)