OpenClinica User Manual/Interfaces

OpenClinica is web-based and by its nature captures data remotely. However, sometimes a different interface is needed or data needs to be captured when there is little or no network access. A number of interfaces are available, but they all require some customisation, as there is no publicly available standard solution.

=XForms= There have been a number of efforts to bring XForm data into OpenClinica:


 * 1) Geneuity blogged about a spreadsheet-like interface for OpenClinica they'd developed using Openclinica.
 * 2) Tom Hickerson of OpenClinica's presentation about how he is 'working on a mapping layer between OpenClinica and OpenXData', collecting data using basic mobile phones with limited connectivity. Code from the project is available.
 * 3) github has some OpenClinica and XForm code. There is also a OpenClinica Tablet Demo video

=Import from Local instances of OpenClinica= Michael Ochieng provided source code of a Python import tool that updates a central database with ODM exports from site databases. The contents can be found here.

A number of import tools are listed on the OpenClinica Wiki data import tools page

=Import from Local instances of another data collection tool= Jim Smith used InfoPath forms for a 'store and forward tablet PC system' that are then forwarded to a 'SharePoint (WEBDAV) server', then imported into OpenClinica.

Jim says: 'InfoPath supports repeating sections and filtered views that OC can't come close too "yet".

InfoPath is pen/touch aware and makes the CRF's much more usable than the OC interface.'

Again, the import tools mentioned above are needed to import the data.

=Other options= Discussions have included using the OpenDataKit and Android phones

Arthur Isaenko suggests creating an Access application to pass messages to OpenClinica via email