Experience in the adoption of Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) as a tool for medical research in Tanzania
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Objective
To document the deployment and training of Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Tanzania and to evaluate user satisfaction and perceived impact on research practices in Tanzania.
Materials and Methods
Six structured REDCap training workshops were conducted between 2016 and 2022. The post-training evaluation surveys were completed by 110 participants. Descriptive statistics were generated for demographics and cadres, while Likert-scale responses assessed satisfaction and perceived utility. Diverging stacked bar charts were used to visualize attitudes toward adopting REDCap.
Results
Most trainees were male (62.7%), aged 26–32 years (52.7%), and affiliated with MUHAS (66.4%), with additional representation from Ghana and Nigeria. The participants included academic or research staff (41.8%), postgraduate students (28.2%), undergraduate students (11.8%), and other professionals (18.2%). Post-training evaluations indicated consistently high satisfaction, with mean scores above 4.4 on a 5-point scale. Trainees strongly endorsed REDCap’s ability to enhance research effectiveness (mean 4.53, SD 0.65), increase productivity (mean 4.52, SD 0.69), and improve task completion (mean 4.50, SD 0.68). More than 85% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the positive statements, underscoring the broad acceptance of REDCap as a reliable tool for research data management.
Discussion
The findings underscore the importance of structured training in mitigating barriers to adoption and enhancing data quality, efficiency, and institutional visibility.
Conclusion
Structured REDCap training in Tanzania was associated with high user satisfaction and perceived improvements in research productivity and data quality, offering a scalable model for strengthening data management capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.
