Other Health Research Capabilities

Westat has conducted or supported health research for numerous public and private sector clients. These projects use mail and telephone surveys, in-person interviewing, record abstracting, physical examinations, nutrition assessments, and other methods for descriptive studies. Our involvement ranges from short-term support to long-range planning and design for multiyear, multicenter projects.

Other Health and Medical Area Experience

  • Epidemiology, surveillance, and intervention research
  • Health information technology
  • Health services and outcomes research
  • Health disparities
  • Health economics
  • Physical examination and health status surveys
  • Patient safety and satisfaction
  • Environmental exposure
  • Disability and long-term care
  • Military health care
  • Mental health
  • Substance abuse disorders

Applications for Research Solutions

Westat has established an extensive suite of applications that can support most health research requirements with advanced, proven solutions supported by experienced architects, analysts, and programmers. Our research tool suite represents the “best of breed” among commercial off-the-shelf products, open source tools, Westat enterprise capabilities, and custom development.

Among our key tools are

  • Case Management and Protocol Workflow (CMPW) Suite. This is a comprehensive set of configurable tools designed to manage study activities, including recruitment, participant registration and tracking, protocol workflow, and data collection. CMPW consists of several modules that can be used separately or together as needed depending on a study’s protocol and data collection modes. It includes modules designed for call center management and asynchronous field management, as well as overarching study, substudy, and participant tracking and management.
  • Biological and Environmental Sample Tracking (BEST) System. This Westat system manages samples from field collection to repository and labs (collection, shipping, receipt control, aliquoting, inventory, relabeling, anonymization, daughter specimens, results data). It has interoperable with other biorepository systems (BSI), LIMS, and study management systems.
  • Study Tracking and Review System (STaRS). This Westat enterprise system is used to provide management of workflow and documents associated with application, review, and approvals, and progress monitoring for use of existing data, specimens, and images for publications, presentations, and ancillary studies.
  • Basic Field Operations System (BFOS). BFOS is a Westat enterprise system that provides integration of case management (field and home) and computer-assisted interviews into a single user interface. It provides seamless integration to the Blaise® multimode/multimedia survey tool and management of field operations, including interviewer assignments, instrument management, supervisor reviews, and time and materials tracking.
  • WesTrax. This system supports drug supply management and subject randomization, integrated with interactive voice response (IVR) and supporting low-cost data collection and automated notifications.
  • Other supporting systems (tracing, death review, medical coding). These systems provide rapid, proven support that is exceptionally powerful when integrated with other commercial systems (Oracle Clinical®) that support web-based data management and technological controls (bar codes, radio frequency tags).