REDCap is deployed at more than 6,000 institutions worldwide through the Vanderbilt-managed REDCap Consortium, and is the standard EDC for NIH-funded US clinical trials. Building a REDCap instrument from a sponsor-provided CRF or validated scale PDF requires creating a Data Dictionary CSV - an 18-column structured file that REDCap uses to build every field. Manual Data Dictionary creation takes 4-8 hours for a 40-item CRF. Pirai AI generates the Data Dictionary CSV from any Word or PDF instrument document automatically.
REDCap at US Universities and Medical Centers
REDCap is confirmed at virtually every US medical school and academic health system. Major consortium members include Vanderbilt, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Mass General Brigham, University of California system, University of Michigan, Duke, Northwestern, Emory, and hundreds more. Access is typically through your institution's research informatics team, CTSA (Clinical and Translational Science Awards) programme, or IT department.
NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) supports REDCap deployment through CTSA-funded institutions. If your institution has a CTSA, your REDCap access request routes through the CTSA informatics core.
HIPAA and REDCap for US Health Research
REDCap on US institutional servers satisfies HIPAA requirements for electronic protected health information (ePHI) in research. The institution's HIPAA Security Rule compliance framework covers the REDCap instance - including access controls, audit logs, and encryption. No Business Associate Agreement with a cloud vendor is required because data does not leave institutional servers. For NIH-funded clinical trials requiring HIPAA compliance, institutional REDCap is the most straightforward path.
Converting US Clinical Instruments to REDCap
Common US clinical research instruments converted to REDCap Data Dictionary using Pirai AI:
- PROMIS measures - NIH-developed patient-reported outcomes used across CTSA-affiliated studies
- PHQ-9 and GAD-7 - standard US mental health screening in primary care research
- SF-36 and SF-12 - widely used in NIH-funded health outcomes research
- PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist) - VA and DoD-funded PTSD research
- AUDIT-C - alcohol use screening in US preventive health research
- Sponsor-provided CRFs - FDA-regulated IND studies with sponsor-specified data collection forms
- Custom study instruments - IRB-approved questionnaires drafted in Word by the study team
The REDCap Data Dictionary - What Pirai AI Generates
Pirai AI generates a valid 18-column REDCap Data Dictionary CSV. Key columns populated: Variable/Field Name (auto-generated, lowercase with underscores), Form Name, Section Header, Field Type (text, radio, checkbox, dropdown, slider, notes), Field Label (verbatim from source document), Choices/Calculations (pipe-delimited for radio/checkbox: 1, Option A | 2, Option B), and Field Note. Import via Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > Commit Changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pirai AI converts Word, PDF, and Excel documents to REDCap Data Dictionary CSV format. Upload at platform.piraiai.com, select REDCap, download the Data Dictionary CSV, and import via Project Setup > Data Dictionary > Upload File > Commit Changes. Verbatim field labels from the source document are preserved.
Yes. REDCap on your institution's own servers keeps ePHI within institutional infrastructure covered by your HIPAA Security Rule compliance programme. No Business Associate Agreement with a cloud vendor is required. This is a key HIPAA advantage over cloud-hosted platforms like Qualtrics (which requires a BAA) or Google Forms (which does not offer standard HIPAA compliance).
REDCap is available at more than 6,000 institutions worldwide through the Vanderbilt REDCap Consortium, including virtually every US medical school and academic health system. Contact your institution's research informatics team, CTSA informatics core, or IT department to request access.
Pirai AI converts NIH-specified instruments (PROMIS measures, PHQ-9, GAD-7, SF-36) and custom IRB-approved instruments from Word or PDF to REDCap Data Dictionary format. Verbatim field labels from source instruments are preserved - important for NIH studies where instrument wording is specified in the protocol and grant application.
Convert Your CRF or Clinical Instrument to REDCap
Upload Word or PDF. Pirai AI generates the REDCap Data Dictionary CSV. Import into your institutional REDCap. Free daily credits.
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