Yesterday, in a room filled to the brim with over 250 Radboudumc researchers and staff, the introduction of the Castor EDC campus license was celebrated festively. Dean Prof. dr. Paul Smits opened the Launch Event, calling for all attending researchers to make full use of Castor.
During the event, the audience members were informed about how to use Castor, about the forthcoming feature linking it to the electronic health record (EHR) system Epic, and the Digital Research Environment (DRE) that will be developed.
Building research in a simple way
According to Ariaan Siezen, Digital Research Environment Project Leader at the Radboudumc, Castor is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. ‘One time, a researcher was looking over my shoulder and asked me, really surprised: what’s that? She started using it and two days later she called me and told me: “I finished building my study”. That’s how easy it is to use.’ And for researchers who want to get started with Castor, assistance is available: ‘Employees at the Clinical Research Centre Nijmegen are there for new users to help them and provide them with tips and tricks.’ The scientists were updated in the space of two hours, and the system was applauded. During the event Janine Gossen, Hematology data manager at the Radboudumc, showed the attendees how she had set up her research in Castor.
Feature Linking Epic to Castor, and the Digital Research Environment
– Ariaan Siezen
Developers and information architects at Radboudumc, Ciwit, and Furore are working together on a feature with which data can automatically be transferred from the EHR Epic to Castor. Project leader Ariaan Siezen gave further information about the feature: ‘The feature ensures that people save time and make fewer mistakes when filling in the data’. The feature plays an essential role in the yet to be developed Digital Research Environment (DRE). The DRE will enable researchers to import, merge, optimize, save, analyze, and store medical data, and to share various sources in one single digital research area per study.
After the presentations, researchers had the opportunity to play around with the system themselves and experience how easy it is to build your study in Castor in person! At the moment, the Radboudumc has a license for 2000 ongoing studies, and half that amount is expected to be achieved this year alone.
