ARETGroup vs Others for Research Electronic Data Capture Solutions
Recently, a prospective client and industry influencer in community response referred to ARETGroup as a 'new school' REDCap for applied research settings. We thought that was a good comparison! So, now we thought it would be beneficial if we summarized how our products stack up against the others!
Primary Purpose
Feature |
ARETGroup |
Others |
Primary Purpose |
Human services data management for ethical research and evaluation designed for real-world settings. |
Research and/or clinical data collection, primarily used in academic and medical environments. |
Research Capacity |
Supports clinical and action-research with streamlined partnerships designed to manage real-world intervention tracking. |
Supports clinical and academic research but has limited capabilities for tracking real-world interventions. |
Workflow Compliance |
Automates research data collection while ensuring compliance with community data regulations. |
Automates research data collection with one-size-fit-all compliance mindset and lacks live case workflow automation. |
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Features |
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Feature |
ARETGroup |
Others |
Multi-Agency Collaboration Features |
Yes, ARETGroup Engage360 extends ARETGroup’s core functionality with real-time multi-agency collaboration and outcome tracking (Public Safety, Medical, Behavioral Health, Schools, NGOs). Automates field-based data collection through first-person assessments, survey links, QR codes among others. |
Mostly setup for single institutions. Not inherently, built for multi-agency collaboration. Requires manual data-sharing or API integrations with questionable security achitecture. Collaborations are non-routine tasks requiring additional management. |
Longitudinal Tracking |
Tracks individual and community-level trends observed over time. Integrated case management progress and outcome metrics overviews. |
Primarily designed for one of event-based or case-based data collection with limited capacity to reconcile scenarios across the two. |
AI Features |
Yes, Private (not cloud) AI capacity to automated case note summarization, case trend analysis, risk assessment. |
Cloud based AI with limited in-house AI capabilities; relies on manual statistical analysis using external tools. |
Online Analytical Tools |
Integrated reporting dashboards with focus on relevant indicators and log tracking. |
One-size-fit-all analytics tools or requires external tools for streamlined insights. |
Data Export |
Yes, structured and collated exports to CSV ready for analysis. |
Not focused on collated exports, need specialized queries built to get relevant collated data for studies. |
Compliance and Security |
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Feature |
ARETGroup |
Others |
Hosting & IT Infrastructure |
ARETGroup manages all hosting, security, and maintenance and provide flexible options to separate concerns for sensitive and non-sensitive data. |
Again one-size-fits-all hosting with limited option for separation of concerns when it comes to handling sensitive and non-sensitive data. |
Web-Based Accessibility & Offline Work |
Fully web-based with offline capabilities for field-based crisis response, case management, and research. |
Web-based but lacks optimized offline support for mobile crisis teams. |
Support & Training |
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Feature |
ARETGroup |
Others |
Onboarding, Support & Training |
Weeks to fully onboard team. Specialized support and training for public safety, behavioral health, and research-action teams. |
Onboarding not available or months to get team going at best. Generic support and institution-based training. |
Summary
Unlike platforms like REDCap, OpenClinica, or IBM Clinical Development, ARETGroup research systems focus on meeting the day-to-day data collection and outcome tracking needs in human services fields. We also specialize in ‘first principle’ concepts for ethical research and evaluation and national standards for electronic data capture. ARETGroup offers tools like AI-Insights and ENGAGE360 have proven to catalyze data collection and learning in applied research. See some of ARETGroup’s current solutions for Community Response and Public Safety.
Feel free to reach out for more insights or join our community of like-minded folks dedicated to securing the best value for our customers.