REDCap: Importing Standardized Questions from the Field Bank

REDCap allows you to import standardized fields from the National Institute of Health / U.S. National Library of Medicine catalog.

How to Use the Field Bank:

Add a Field Bank field from the Online Designer:

  1. In the Online Designer, select where you would like to add the field to your instrument and click the "Import from Field Bank" button:
    Screenshot showing the button described above
    Select the "Import from Field Bank" button.

  2. In the pop-up, you can search through the entire catalog or you can choose a specific catalog:
    Screenshot of drop-down menu to select a specific catalog.
    If you know the field you are looking for is in a specific catalog, you can select that catalog from the drop-down menu before searching.


  3. Use the search bar to search for the field you want to import:
    Screenshot demonstrating the process described above.
    Scroll through the results to find the field that you want to add. Click the green "Add Field" button to add it to your instrument.


  4. The field is now added to your instrument. The correct coding for multiple choice fields has been imported. There will be an included field notation that maps the field back to the source catalog.
    Screenshot showing the field has been added to the instrument
    The field has been added to the instrument.
    Screenshot showing the coding of the field has been imported from the catalog.
    The correct field coding and field names are imported. The "tinyid" in the Field Annotation maps the field to the standardized catalog it came from.

Note on Catalog Availability:

The Field Bank feature is intended to help with standardization of data collected, and so it is not possible for institutions or users to customize or add your own field bank fields. As of May 2021, the only catalogs available are the NIH/NLM catalogs. In the future, REDCap may add additional standardized catalogs

Note on Editing Field Bank Fields:

When you add a field with the Field Bank, it is added as a normal field, and you are able to edit it. However, if you change the coded values or mapping, you defeat the purpose of using a standardized catalog!

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KeywordsREDCap, Field Bank, Standardized, NIH, NLM, Catalog   Doc ID111096
OwnerAmy S.GroupSMPH Research Informatics
Created2021-05-27 20:58:59Updated2024-03-20 09:59:05
SitesInstitute for Clinical and Translational Research, SMPH Research Informatics
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