Dr. Mallal and his team recently used MyCap to facilitate weekly COVID-19 screening of saliva samples from students, faculty, and staff at a Nashville high school. Participants collected their samples from home and deposited them at school. The participant’s test tubes were linked to the participant using a unique barcode scanned using the MyCap app on their mobile device. Participants also answered questions about any recent, COVID-related symptoms in MyCap.
When asked why he wanted to use MyCap for this project Dr. Mallal said, “We wanted to make the test as simple and convenient as possible for the participants while maintaining the highest levels of privacy, efficiency and data and sample integrity.” He added that the MyCap application is simple to download and, “allows the participant to complete a brief survey, scan the barcode on their sample collection tube before dropping it off on their way into school and receive their test result on the same day.”
In describing his favorite MyCap feature, Dr. Mallal said, “the MyCap application connects and empowers the participants, laboratory and research team and is intra-operable with REDCap, leveraging great features such as electronic consenting and data management. It is the perfect catalyst and vehicle for team science and brought together the school community with Jonathan Swafford, Bev Woodward, Rama Gangula, Suman Pakala, Drs. Elizabeth Phillips, Margee Brennan, Loren Lipworth, Paul Harris and many others. All of these people and elements were critical for the success of the project”.
When asked what suggestions he had for improving MyCap, Dr. Mallal said a feature to allow participants to add comments to their sample submission or to message study research coordinators would enhance the user experience and research quality in the MyCap application. It just so happens that “messaging enhancements” is on our list for feature development!
Thanks, Dr. Mallal, for sharing your use case with us!
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