title: I-Maculaweb: A Tool to Support Data Reuse in Ophthalmology.
abstract: This paper intends to present a Web-based application to collect and manage clinical data and clinical trials together in a unique tool. I-maculaweb is a user-friendly Web-application designed to manage, share, and analyze clinical data from patients affected by degenerative and vascular diseases of the macula. The unique and innovative scientific and technological elements of this project are the integration with individual and population data, relevant for degenerative and vascular diseases of the macula. Clinical records can also be extracted for statistical purposes and used for clinical decision support systems. I-maculaweb is based on an existing multilevel and multiscale data management model, which includes general principles that are suitable for several different clinical domains. The database structure has been specifically built to respect laterality, a key aspect in ophthalmology. Users can add and manage patient records, follow-up visits, treatment, diagnoses, and clinical history. There are two different modalities to extract records: one for the patient's own center, in which personal details are shown and the other for statistical purposes, where all center's anonymized data are visible. The Web-platform allows effective management, sharing, and reuse of information within primary care and clinical research. Clear and precise clinical data will improve understanding of real-life management of degenerative and vascular diseases of the macula as well as increasing precise epidemiologic and statistical data. Furthermore, this Web-based application can be easily employed as an electronic clinical research file in clinical studies.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonetto
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nicolò
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gazzarata
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fraccaro
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Musetti
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Musolino
authors.forename: Carlo E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Traverso
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giacomini
keywords: Macula diseases; Web based clinical data collection for reuse; multi-level and multi-scale data management model