Compared to MyCap

Why Avicenna?
1

First Impression: REDCap’s Mobile Extension

MyCap is a participant-facing mobile application that extends REDCap’s capabilities to mobile devices. Developed by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, MyCap serves as a bridge between REDCap projects and participants’ smartphones, enabling remote data collection through surveys and active tasks.

MyCap’s primary strength lies in its integration with REDCap, a platform that is widely adopted in clinical and academic research settings. For institutions already using REDCap, MyCap provides a straightforward way to collect mobile data without requiring participants to access a web browser. However, this dependency on REDCap also means that MyCap inherits many of REDCap’s limitations and requires REDCap administrator approval to enable.

REDCap Dependency and Administrative Overhead

One of MyCap’s most significant limitations is its complete dependence on REDCap. MyCap cannot function as a standalone platform; it must be enabled by a REDCap administrator for each project, and all data flow through the REDCap infrastructure. This creates several challenges:

  1. Administrative Bottleneck: Researchers cannot independently enable MyCap for their projects. They must request activation from their institution’s REDCap administrator, which can delay study deployment.

  2. Institutional Constraints: MyCap’s availability and feature set depend on the institution’s REDCap implementation. Some institutions may have access to REDCap Premium features, while others may be limited to base functionality. This inconsistency makes it difficult for researchers to plan studies across multiple institutions.

  3. Limited Autonomy: Unlike standalone platforms, researchers cannot customize MyCap’s deployment, hosting, or data governance policies independently. All decisions are subject to institutional REDCap policies and administrator approval.

Feature Limitations and Constraints

MyCap inherits many of REDCap’s limitations while adding some of its own. The platform does not support several features that researchers may need:

  1. No Piping: MyCap does not support piping (inserting previous responses into later questions), which limits the ability to create dynamic, personalized surveys.

  2. Limited Action Tags: While MyCap supports some action tags (notably @HIDDEN and @MC- prefixed tags), most REDCap action tags are not supported, restricting survey customization options.

  3. No Calculated Fields: Researchers cannot use calculated fields in MyCap surveys, which means all calculations must be performed during data analysis rather than in real-time.

  4. No Smart Variables or Special Functions: MyCap lacks support for REDCap’s smart variables and special functions, further limiting survey complexity.

  5. Limited Branching Logic: Only single-statement branching logic is supported (e.g., [field]='1'). Complex branching with AND, OR, or special functions is not available.

  6. No Matrix of Fields: MyCap does not support matrix-style questions, which can be limiting for certain types of surveys.

These limitations mean that researchers must carefully design their surveys to work within MyCap’s constraints, potentially requiring simplified survey designs or workarounds that may not capture the full complexity of their research questions.

Active Tasks: iOS-Centric Approach

MyCap’s support for active tasks (sensor-based data collection) is one of its distinguishing features, but it comes with significant platform limitations. Most active tasks are only available on iOS devices, and Android support is much more limited. This creates challenges for:

  1. Cross-Platform Studies: Researchers cannot design studies that work equally well on both iOS and Android devices, potentially excluding participants who use Android devices.

  2. Device Requirements: Studies that rely on active tasks effectively require participants to have iOS devices, which may not be feasible for all research populations.

  3. Feature Parity: The disparity between iOS and Android capabilities means that researchers must either limit their studies to iOS users or design different protocols for different platforms.

While MyCap does support some active tasks on both platforms (such as audio recording and tone audiometry), the full range of sensor-based assessments is primarily available to iOS users only.

Participant Experience and Engagement

MyCap’s participant-facing app provides a functional experience for data collection, but it lacks many features that could enhance participant engagement:

  1. Limited Customization: While MyCap allows some customization of themes, icons, and information screens, the level of customization is more limited compared to standalone platforms. Researchers cannot create fully branded experiences.

  2. Basic Interface: The app interface is functional but not particularly engaging. While this may be appropriate for clinical research, it may not be ideal for studies requiring sustained participant engagement over extended periods.

  3. Multi-Project Support: MyCap does support multiple projects on a single device, which is valuable for participants involved in multiple studies. However, the management of multiple projects within the app could be more intuitive.

  4. Profile Management: MyCap supports multiple profiles on a single device, which is useful for shared devices. However, the profile switching and management could be more streamlined.

Security and Compliance

MyCap inherits REDCap’s security features, which include HIPAA compliance and robust data protection. The app requires a 6-digit passcode to unlock (though this can be disabled), and data is stored in an encrypted database on the device until synchronization. After successful transmission, data is deleted from the device.

Messaging and Communication

MyCap provides secure, bidirectional messaging between researchers and participants, which is valuable for:

  1. Study Communication: Researchers can send project-wide announcements or individual messages to participants.

  2. Participant Support: Participants can message researchers with questions or concerns.

However, the messaging system has limitations:

  1. No External Notifications: When participants message researchers, the study team does not receive notifications outside of REDCap. Researchers must check the MyCap Participant Management dashboard to see new messages.

  2. Not for Urgent Contact: MyCap explicitly warns that messaging should not be used for urgent contact, and this limitation affects its usefulness in studies requiring immediate intervention.

  3. Limited Features: The messaging system lacks features like read receipts, message threading, or rich media support that could enhance communication.

Data Access and Analysis

MyCap data is stored in REDCap, which means researchers access and analyze data through REDCap’s interface. This has both advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages:

  • Data are immediately available in REDCap for analysis
  • Researchers already familiar with REDCap don’t need to learn a new system
  • REDCap offers robust data export capabilities

Disadvantages:

  • REDCap’s analytics are limited to basic visualizations
  • Researchers typically need to export data to external statistical software (SPSS, SAS, R, and Stata) for comprehensive analysis
  • No real-time dashboards or advanced filtering capabilities within the platform
  • Limited ability to perform data analysis without leaving the platform

MyCap Strengths

MyCap’s primary strengths include:

  1. Cost-Effectiveness: Available at no cost to academic, nonprofit, and government organizations, making it accessible to researchers with limited budgets.

  2. REDCap Integration: Seamless integration with REDCap means data flows directly into an existing research infrastructure without requiring data migration or integration work.

  3. HIPAA Compliance: Inherits REDCap’s HIPAA compliance and security features, making it suitable for clinical research and sensitive data collection.

  4. Offline Data Collection: Supports offline data collection with automatic synchronization when connectivity is restored.

  5. Active Tasks Support: Provides access to active tasks (primarily on iOS) for sensor-based data collection, which is valuable for certain types of research.

  6. Institutional Familiarity: For institutions already using REDCap, MyCap provides a familiar extension to existing workflows without requiring researchers to learn a completely new platform.

  7. Multi-Profile Support: Allows multiple profiles on a single device, which is useful for shared devices or family studies.

Feature Category Comparison

The following table compares Avicenna and MyCap on different categories of features:

Category Superior
Study Setup & Deployment
MyCap requires REDCap administrator approval to enable, creating administrative bottlenecks and dependencies. Avicenna provides independent study setup with features like audit logs, consent management, eligibility screening, and multilingual support. Researchers can deploy studies immediately without waiting for institutional approval.
Notifications
MyCap supports push notifications for scheduled tasks, but lacks comprehensive notification management, customization options, delivery confirmations, or multi-channel delivery (email, SMS, in-app). Avicenna offers advanced notification features including customizable templates, delivery monitoring, and participant preference-based notification delivery.
Participant Activities
MyCap's scheduling is primarily time-based with limited flexibility. Avicenna offers more sophisticated triggering logic including sensor-based triggers, event-driven scheduling, proximity-based triggers, and advanced session management. Avicenna's scripting capabilities and real-time activity monitoring provide researchers with greater control and visibility.
Survey
MyCap has significant limitations: no piping, limited action tags, no calculated fields, no smart variables, and only single-statement branching logic. Avicenna provides comprehensive survey features with advanced branching, flow control, calculated fields, and dynamic content. Avicenna also supports researcher-responded surveys and public surveys, which MyCap does not.
Interventions & Cognitive Tasks
MyCap supports active tasks (primarily on iOS), but does not offer a library of validated cognitive tasks or support for sensor-triggered interventions. Avicenna provides a comprehensive library of cognitive and behavioral tasks that can be seamlessly integrated into studies, along with support for real-time adaptive protocols.
Gamification & Rewarding
MyCap does not offer gamification or rewarding features. Avicenna supports gamification elements and personalized feedback to enhance participant engagement, which can be particularly valuable for longitudinal studies requiring sustained participation.
Software Security & Reliability Tie
Both platforms prioritize security and compliance. MyCap inherits REDCap's HIPAA compliance and security features, which are strong for clinical research. Avicenna also offers robust security features, GDPR compliance, and flexible deployment options including on-premise installations. The choice depends on specific institutional requirements and data governance needs.
Sensor Data & Wearables
MyCap supports active tasks primarily on iOS devices, with limited Android support. Avicenna offers comprehensive support for smartphone sensors and wearable devices (Fitbit, Garmin, Polar, Apple HealthKit, Whoop, Hexoskin), enabling researchers to collect objective data alongside self-reported measures and trigger surveys based on sensor-detected conditions across both iOS and Android platforms.
Participant App
MyCap provides a functional mobile app with offline capabilities, but the participant experience is basic and customization is limited. Avicenna provides a modern, cross-platform participant app (Android, iOS, and web) with customizable interfaces, profile management, support for multiple concurrent studies, and a more engaging user experience. Avicenna's web app also provides accessibility for participants who prefer not to use mobile apps.
Data Access & Analysis
MyCap data is stored in REDCap, which offers basic visualizations but requires data export to external statistical software for comprehensive analysis. Avicenna offers integrated data analysis tools, real-time dashboards, advanced filtering capabilities, and Kibana integration, allowing researchers to gain insights without leaving the platform. Avicenna's API access also enables seamless integration with analysis tools when needed.
Other
Avicenna offers branded applications, custom on-premises deployments, flexible licensing options, and API-based access, providing greater autonomy and flexibility for research teams. Avicenna also supports multi-site studies and advanced features like televisit capabilities.

For details, please check
the comparison spreadsheet.