See CommCare in Action
Watch as our team takes you through the design of a basic
app in CommCare
Since 2002, researchers have been using Dimagi’s open-source mobile technologies to bring efficiency, visibility, and scalability to their field-based studies.
Universities and organizations conducting field-based international research face unique challenges with data collection, monitoring, and program implementation. Research teams have to address the coordination and integration of multiple paper-based tools, field deployment organizations, training of local staff, and a variety of country-specific logistical considerations. The team is often only on-site for a short amount of time and then may need to manage long-term initiatives remotely.
Fortunately, mobile tools can help. Their forms are easily configurable, allowing for quick, remote adjustments. Their platform approach makes scaling to multiple sites a breeze. Longitudinal data management allows subjects to be tracked over time. Here’s what mobile tools can do for your next research project.
Longitudinal case management functionality allows for tracking of specific participants with complex workflows.
Offline capabilities allow the application to be used in even the most rural, underserved schools.
Reliable GPS capture, e-signature, and validation conditions improve data integrity.
Cloud hosting of data allows for deployment on the ground without any physical set-up.
Data dashboards improve data monitoring and can include project-specific indicators.
Multi-language functionality allows for easy translation of forms to fit local language customization needs.
Tanzania’s Ocean Road Cancer Institute uses CommCare to improve symptom control and information exchange in late-stage cancer treatment.
INDDEX uses CommCare to assess community dietary needs to improve agriculture, food, and nutrition policies in Burkina Faso and Vietnam.
Boston University uses CommCare to improve performance in five hospitals across Ghana.
The m-Palliative Care Link (mPCL) project’s objective is to improve symptom control and information exchange among specialists and local health workers treating late-stage Tanzanian cancer patients. Dimagi’s role in the project is to collaborate with the US-based team at Maine Medical Center (MMC) and the Tanzania-based Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) study team to adapt the African Palliative Care Association Palliative Care Outcome Scale (APCA POS) for mobile delivery and symptom control action by specialists and local health workers using a user-centered design framework. Their between-groups comparison pilot study is an assessment of the effect of a mobile intervention on field test outcomes to better understand the impact that the mPCL system can have on improving the treatment for late-stage cancer patients. The scope of this initial contract includes a pilot study with 45 late-stage cancer patients using the mobile app (intervention group) and 45 patients in usual care (control group).
mPCL includes registration and follow-up menus to record and track symptom control, based on patient POS responses, supervisor menus for the specialist to review information entered by the local health worker via Web Apps, adaptation of the POS framework for the patients and caregivers to complete directly via CommCare mobile, as well as SMS sent to study participants and nurses as a reminder to fill out the POS.
The INDDEX Project is a joint project with Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and other international experts. The objective of the research is to help countries to increase food and nutrient consumption data collection and use in order to create more evidence-based decisions about agriculture, food, and nutrition policies and programs. INDDEX24 is a mobile dietary assessment platform that utilizes environment-specific input databases to conduct 24-hour dietary recalls. To date, the mobile platform has been tested in Burkina Faso and Vietnam.
Boston University launched a study to assess the effectiveness of a hospital performance measurement intervention implemented in five hospitals in Ghana. The intervention’s goal is to “improve quality of care and increase patient satisfaction, thereby contributing to increased utilization of services and impact on maternal and neonatal outcomes.” The study used a tablet-based CommCare app to record key outcomes, clients’ satisfaction, and perception of affordability. Results from the study are being used to improve hospital performance and enable evidence-based policy decision making.
Watch as our team takes you through the design of a basic
app in CommCare
Updates and advice from our world-class partners and Global Services team:
Biometrac is partnering with CommCare to conduct community-based research and implementation for a tuberculosis program in Uganda.
BRAC offers advice on why mobile data collection can save projects both time and money while expanding possibilities for research.
The Aquaya Institute is a non-profit research and consulting organization using CommCare to understand the challenges of testing water quality in sub-Saharan Africa.
Learn how the world’s most powerful mobile data collection platform can help your program
“We are ready to design
applications that are everything
from simple and straightforward to
those with challenging and unique
designs and use cases.”
- Ted Barlow, President
“CommCare gave us the ability to
control the experience of our fieldbased
data collectors, which
drastically reduced human error.”
- Bhawna Mangla, Senior Research Associate
“Thank you for helping us to
gather data, refine programming,
and spread the message about our
impact in fighting global climate
change and extreme poverty.”
- Sarah Baird, Executive Director