Raise Healthcare · Opera Study
From paper questionnaires and Excel to a connected research workflow
Ficode built a web application for Raise Healthcare that made patient questionnaires easier to complete, captured responses automatically and simplified tracking and reporting.
Digital forms
Replacing paper questionnairesAutomatic capture
Replacing manual Excel entryCoded records
Random patient identifiersEasier reporting
Records managed in the applicationA simpler way to collect and manage research responses
Raise Healthcare needed a digital alternative to a paper-and-Excel process for Opera Study. Ficode developed a web application that brought questionnaire completion and record capture into one workflow.
The project involved doctors and patients across multiple hospitals or trusts. It supported the collection of observations for research following breast reconstruction, with patient-identifying details represented by random identifiers.
A manual process between every questionnaire and its record
Doctors gave patients paper questionnaires, then recorded their answers in Excel. The process required manual transfer of information and made records harder to track and report on across the people involved.
Before Paper & Excel
Paper forms
Patients complete questionnairesManual entry
Doctors transcribe answersExcel records
Records managed in spreadsheetsWith Opera Study Digital workflow
Web questionnaires
Patients submit responses onlineAutomatic capture
Responses saved in the applicationTrack & report
Records easier to follow and reviewDigitise the form. Capture the response. Simplify the follow-up.
Ficode developed a web application to replace the previous paper-and-Excel workflow. Patients could fill in questionnaires digitally, and their responses were saved automatically in the application.
Web-based questionnaires
A digital route for patients to provide their responses.
Automatic saving
Responses captured directly in the application without the previous transfer into Excel.
Manage records
An easier way to follow records within the application.
Review information
Reporting supported by digitally captured responses.
Patient records represented by random identifiers
Random numbers replaced patient-identifying details in the research workflow. An internal mapping linked those numbers to the corresponding patient information.
Patient details
Identity informationInternal mapping
Links the identifier to the patientRandom identifier
Used in place of identifying detailsThis is pseudonymisation: records remain linkable to patients through the internal mapping. It is not the same as permanently anonymising the information
Less manual handling. A more manageable process.
Ficode confirmed qualitative improvements in how questionnaires were completed and records managed.
Easier for patients
Patients complete questionnaires digitally through the web application.
Automatic record capture
Responses are saved in the application without the previous transcription into Excel.
Simpler reporting
Information held in the application is easier to review and report on.
Easier tracking
Teams can follow records within the application rather than relying on paper forms and spreadsheets.
Supporting research, not claiming clinical results. Ficode supplied and developed the application. Research findings were not shared with Ficode, so this case study makes no claims about treatment effectiveness or improved clinical outcomes.
A web application hosted on Amazon EC2
The delivered solution was web-only, with AWS used to host the application on an EC2 instance.
Participation involved multiple hospitals or trusts, doctors and patients. Confidential records and participation figures are not disclosed.
