Development of an Effective Electronic Medical Record for Student-Run Free Health Fairs Using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) Software

Background. The University of Miami Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Department of Community Service (DOCS) is a student-run organization providing free health care to the medically underserved in South Florida. For a large organization providing care to thousands of people per year, an effective electronic medical record (EMR) is necessary to keep track of patient records. Methods. A REDCap project was configured in a way that allows it to mimic a basic EMR. This was done by assigning patients medical record numbers, creating repeating events allowing patient results to be seen over time, and incorporating extensive logic to facilitate clinical decision-making. Results. DOCS was able to create a basic EMR using REDCap and has seen success with this approach. Discussion. REDCap is capable of functioning as a robust, basic EMR which can be suitable for any purpose. It is HIPAA-compliant, comprehensive and low-cost, making it suitable for serving underserved populations.