Overview
WebCAMP is a Web-based system for the administrative management of clinical research centers. It is currently used by over 25 NCRR-funded General Clinical Research Centers (GCRCs) and Clinical and Translational Science Awardees (CTSAs) across the country. Its main functional modules include Census and Protocol Tracking and Protocol Autoring and Review. See "Functional Modules" for more information on these two components.
Functional Modules
WebCAMP's primary functional modules include Census and Protocol Tracking and Protocol Authoring and Review (ePAR). These two modules provide complementary functionality, and can be used separately or in combination. If used together, the modules are designed for appropriate two-way data flow, ensuring that data are synchronized in common tables and that approved protocol data is able to be used in the day-to-day conduct of the protocols after approval.
Protocol Authoring and Review: The electronic Protocol Autoring and Review module, or ePAR, provides electronic support for all aspects of protocol authoring, submission and review.
Census and Protocol Tracking: The Census and Protocol Tracking module provides data-entry, reporting, and scheduling functionality to track approved protocols and their activities, and to support the scheduling of beds, staff and equipment to serve these protocols.
Technical Specifications
WebCAMP is written in ColdFusion, with client-side scripting in Javascript. It is currently compatible with Internet Explorer versions 5.5 and later. It requires a Web server running ColdFusion version 6.1 or later, and can be run on all Web server platforms that support these versions of ColdFusion.
Sites running WebCAMP can choose from the following platforms for their back-end database: MS SQLServer (2000 and later), MySQL (version 4.5 and later) or Oracle (9 or 10). WebCAMP is distributed with database definition language (DDL) files that build the required WebCAMP database objects (tables, fields, relationships) during WebCAMP setup.
WebCAMP Issue Tracker
The WebCAMP issue tracker should be used to report bugs and other issues, and to make suggestions for new features or functionality. You can access the issue tracker from within WebCAMP by selecting the appropriate option from the Contact Us menu, which appears in the upper-right area of all main menu screens. You can also access the Issue Tracker from the IWG-Online home page. To go to the Home Page, click "IWG HOME" in the upper-right area of the current window.
Frequently Asked Questions
A "Frequently Asked Questions" list is currently under development. This list will include answers to common questions and solutions to common problems encountered with WebCAMP. The FAQ will be designed to accept new items from the WebCAMP community, resulting in content that is authored jointly by the WebCAMP development team and the user community.
WebCAMP Listserver
A WebCAMP listserver is currently under development to facilitate communication among sites running WebCAMP.
Development Plans (last updated June 20, 2007)
The current production release of WebCAMP is 1.1.8. Version 1.2.0 is currently in pre-release testing and will introduce an optional audit trail of data changes. The audit trail functionality will support both the tracking of changes and an interface for appropriately privileged users to view all past changes to a record being viewed.
Current development plans include:
- Support for a second browser platform (Firefox)
- Expansion of the optional "Investigator Scheduling" module
- A new module to support the import of ancillary data from a text file
