Background: Limited guidelines to assist nurse researchers who use web-based interventions are available. Nurses must develop the supporting technology enabling participants to complete study activities and collected data while maintaining data security and participant confidentiality.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe how the authors used advanced Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) functionality to support the data management infrastructure of an interactive, web-based therapeutic intervention.
Methods: The data management infrastructure for the WISER (Writing to Improve Self-in-Relationships) intervention pilot study consisted of two components: a website for presentation of the intervention and participant account management and a REDCap project for data capture and storage. The REDCap application programming interface connected these two components using HTML links and data exchanges.
Results: We completed an initial pilot study of WISER with 14 participants using the REDCap-based infrastructure. Minimal technical difficulties were encountered.
Discussion: REDCap is cost-effective, is readily available, and, through its advanced functionality, is able to facilitate confidential, secure interactions with participants, robust data management, and seamless participant progression in web-based intervention research.