1.1. Overview¶
Summary
CamCOPS is:
an application that runs on tablet devices including iPads, Android tablets, and desktop computers (Linux, Windows, iOS).
It offers many well-known questionnaires and more advanced tests relevant to cognitive and psychiatric assessment.
It is intended for clinical research by qualified professionals.
It offers structured and unstructured clinical record-keeping facilities.
It operates offline, so it can be used in places with no network reception.
It is compatible with UK NHS information security standards (though security is multifaceted and you will need to do extra things to meet these security requirements).
It periodically sends its data to a server of yours, which you control.
The server offers a web ‘front end’ (including printable task summaries, quantitative tracking information, and clinical summary views), a relational database ‘back end’ for powerful statistical analysis, and automatic export facilities including the export of structured data or PDFs via HL7 v2, HL7 FHIR, and files.
Additionally,
it’s open-source, so you can download and modify the source code. If you’re a programmer, it’s very easy to add your own tasks.
Internally,
the client app is written using C++ using Qt, an open-source cross-platform framework.
The server is written in Python and will run on any suitably configured web server.
Features for patients
Enter information electronically in a convenient format on a mobile or desktop device.
See automatically calculated summary information.
Be prompted to complete tasks on a schedule requested by your clinician or researcher.
Features for clinicians
Enter information electronically in a convenient format on a mobile or desktop device.
Schedule tasks for patients to complete at home.
For use in clinics, lock a device so one patient can’t see another’s information.
Have summary scores automatically calculated for you.
Upload data to your institution when you have a network connection.
Find and view tasks on the CamCOPS server.
View tasks in a quick HTML format, or a printable PDF format.
Track numerical changes graphically over time.
View quick “clinical text view” summaries of pertinent information.
Features for researchers
As for clinicians above.
View tasks with automatically calculated summary information.
Download detailed structured information in spreadsheet or database format.
View and download reports, including patient-finding queries.
A description of the database structure is built into the database itself (visible via XML or SQL comments).
Features for system administrators
Multi-factor authentication.
Group security and group administrators.
Create groups.
Define a group’s preferred ID policy. (Fully identifiable for clinical use? Pseudonymised for a research study?)
Allow users to see groups, or groups to see other groups.
Create group administrators to manage groups independently.
Export facilities.
Export via files, e-mails, HL7 v2, FHIR, and to REDCap.
Export tasks as PDF, HTML, XML, or as a database.
For database export, add summary information or denormalize for subsequent anonymisation.
Define export recipients: what’s exported (e.g. by group, creation date), what task format you prefer, how the export should proceed. For a given export recipient, exports are typically incremental (i.e. only new stuff is sent).
Metadata support for Servelec’s RiO.
Export manually, or via a schedule (either via the operating system, e.g. via crontab, or via CamCOPS’s own scheduler).
“Push” export: when a task is uploaded, it’s exported.
Detailed audit trails.
Coding via SNOMED-CT.