Introducing SCARLET
Scalable Analytics Registry for Rapid Learning and Translational Science
The clinical research community is showing an increased interest in using patient data from the electronic data record (EHR) and other electronic data capture tools for outcomes based research. To satisfy these needs, the OSU CCTS, and Informatics Research & Development, and OSU Department of Biomedical Informatics teamed up to create SCARLET - a low cost, secure, and highly accessible disease registry platform.
Unlike traditional time and resource-intensive data request approaches, SCARLET focuses on creating seamless end-to-end workflows that combine many institutional tools and capabilities with custom software pipelines to efficiently deliver patient disease registries. SCARLET also simplifies access to the registry through an intuitive self-service platform that allows you to browse, conceptualize, and download registry data.
How was this done before?
Traditionally, researcher EHR data needs are serviced through data requests to the Information Warehouse. The data request is typically fulfilled by providing a csv, excel, or similar format data file. While this might still be a practical approach for singular data needs, it is not cost/time efficient. Many researchers also gather secondary patient research data through electronic data capture (EDC) tools such as REDCap. Assembling and managing such disparate and often non-standard data sources only adds to research inefficiencies. SCARLET provides an efficient alternative - once the registry is configured within SCARLET, the data (assembled from multiple sources) is automatically refreshed and available to the researcher 24/7.
New tool on the block.
The development of SCARLET was guided by the driving principles of achieving relative simplicity, scalability, and efficiency. The result is a simple and secure web-portal that researchers can use to interact with their registry data in a multitude of ways.
Overall, the design of SCARLET opens doors for easier institutional adoption. The low cost incentivizes adoption and reduces/removes barriers from conducting efficient research. By reducing costs from what has been traditionally possible, combined with a focus on security and access, SCARLET is bound to positively disrupt the current research registry marketplace.