CommCare for Universities & Research Teams

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Our Mission & Impact

Dimagi envisions a world where all people have access to the services they need to thrive. We contribute towards that vision by building sustainable, high-impact digital solutions that amplify frontline work.  CommCare is our most widely used frontline solution –– and the most widely-deployed technology platform for frontline work. With 80+ peer-reviewed studies, CommCare has the widest evidence-base of any mobile platform for frontline work. 

CommCare is used by universities around the world for their 1) frontline research or 2) programmatic interventions 

CommCare for Research

Research is indispensable for resolving global development challenges – whether it be tackling diseases of poverty, responding to the rise of chronic diseases, or ensuring that mothers have access to safe delivery practices.  CommCare is proven to be effective across the entire lifecycle of frontline research, right from observational studies, experimental research, intervention research through to programmatic implementations at scale.  While CommCare is commonly used for public health studies, it is used across disciplines, such as agriculture, education and sanitation. 

CommCare for Programmatic Implementations

Universities also use CommCare for their programmatic needs. CommCare is used to design, deploy and manage health and development programs. Implementing teams use CommCare to customize a range of interventions, including: decision-support tools, job aids, electronic medical records, SMS-interventions, inventory trackers and more. The power and flexibility in CommCare support small-scale or multi-country programs.  

For an overview of what CommCare is, how we support research teams, you can access this brief intro deck.

FAQs

What value does CommCare have for research teams? 

Research teams use CommCare to ensure they have high-quality, valuable data throughout their studies. CommCare ensures quality data at the point of entry, and gives you tools to securely and efficiently manage, clean, analyze, report and share data. 

Click here to learn more about CommCare's key benefits for research.

Which studies, past or on-going, use CommCare? 

Hundreds of studies from top universities and institutions around the world have used or are currently using CommCare for their frontline data collection or digital interventions tool-of-choice. Click here for a list to get a sense of the types of projects and partners using CommCare–– it's a work-in-progress, we'll be adding to it regularly! 

For more information, see below:

• NIH 

• Clinicaltrials.gov

#3 Which academic researchers or universities use CommCare?

Universities and institutions around the world use CommCare, including the USA, Europe, United Kingdom, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Universities and institutions that use CommCare: 

ACIAR, AMREF, BRAC, Boston University, Duke University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, ICAP at Columbia University, icddr,b, KEMRI, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST), UCSD, UCSF and UNC. 

My institution or grant donor has incredibly strict data security and privacy regulations, how does CommCare manage data security?

CommCare is HIPAA compliant. However, we sign HIPAA BAAs with partners using the CommCare Advanced software plan or above. 

CommCare is 21 CFR Part 11-ready, meaning that if implemented in conjunction with appropriate procedures, documentation, and qualification, then your study may meet part 11 requirements. CommCare has the technical features necessary to serve as the data collection and management component of a 21 CFR Part 11 compliant study. However, a study using CommCare must have policies, procedures, training, validation and documentation meeting the requirements of Part 11 and the predicate rules for the underlying legislation. An FDA auditor will review all project documentation to determine at the study level if a study is compliant.

Does CommCare have experience with grant applications? Including with the NIH?

Yes, several NIH-funded projects have used CommCare. We are happy to help our research partners with letters of support and other guidance or support during their application process.