Due to some new developments in addition to the invaluable need for regular retraining and updating of prevailing expertise within the project sites, it became necessary to have this training especially with the commencement of the second phase (SPARC-NEt}. The new developments included, but not limited to, the following:

–  the incorporation of several new sites to the existing sites from SPARCO 1,

–  the introduction of additional templates to the data capturing instruments such as follow-up data etc.

–  the need to address any prevailing challenges with data templates and processes from already active sites in the data management system.

A workshop on REDCap was organized from 20-21 January 2022.  REDCap is a data management system used to capture patient information and follow up details.   The broad aim of the workshop was to ensure  that adequate data was collected accurately   from the project sites, utilizing REDCap.  The workshop was held to bring up-to-speed personnel in new collaborating sites. The meeting took place online via Zoom.

Scope of course: The workshop encompassed the under-listed topics:

o Introduction to REDCap Data capture tool

o Data entry using REDCap, user rights and roles

o Data validation, queries, and resolution

o Data import template,

o Data summary and report

o Data Backup

o Hands-on / Practical session on REDCap based on individual data access level/group

 o Review of the current Case Report Form (CRF) and follow up forms/templates.

The Faculty/Resource Persons for this training were Prof. O. Owolabi, Director IT/Data Manager, Mr. Samuel Osagie, ITMS,  Mr. Reuben Chianumba, CESRTA Data Manager and Mr. Isaac Olanrewaju, IT Support, all from the University of Abuja.

A total of 62 participants, (14 physical & 48 online) participated on the first day, while 55 (7  physical & 48 online) participants were recorded on the second day of training.

The outcome of the training was that participants understood the need for completeness of data on the CRF, acquired baseline competency in REDCap, and were able to input data from the CRFs into REDCap & import data from Excel to REDCap.  Participants were also able to  perform data entry online using the web-based tool and transfer offline collected  data  using tablets unto REDCap. They could also perform data quality checks in REDCap and understand how to use REDCap for longitudinal studies via follow-up data feed.

The project will continue to carry out regular training in REDCap