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