Frequently Asked Questions for Research Studies Using RxFood
Below are answers to the most common questions we receive from hospitals, academic institutions, clinical researchers, and study coordinators who are considering using RxFood in research projects.
Can RxFood be used for research studies?
Yes. RxFood has been used in a variety of research settings, including pilot studies, observational studies, feasibility studies, and randomized controlled trials. The platform can support dietary assessment, nutrition monitoring, dietary intervention studies, and nutrition-related outcomes research.
Can we trial the platform before committing to a study?
Yes. We can provide demonstration access so your team can evaluate the participant experience, reporting capabilities, research workflows, and overall fit for your study protocol before implementation.
Can participants be anonymized?
Yes. Participants can be enrolled using study identifiers instead of names, allowing researchers to maintain participant confidentiality and support study-specific privacy requirements.
Can participant accounts be identified using study IDs instead of names?
Yes. Accounts can be configured using participant IDs or other study-specific identifiers. This approach is commonly used in clinical research settings.
Can research staff create participant accounts themselves?
Yes. Depending on the study workflow, participant accounts can be managed by study staff. We can also assist with account setup and onboarding if required.
Can participants update their own identifying information?
Account permissions and workflows can be configured to align with the requirements of your study and privacy policies.
Do you provide documentation for REB or ethics board submissions?
Yes. We regularly support Research Ethics Board (REB) and Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions by providing documentation describing the platform, data handling processes, privacy protections, and research workflows.
Can you provide a description of RxFood for our study protocol?
Yes. We can provide language describing the platform, the participant experience, data collection methodology, reporting capabilities, and security practices for inclusion in study protocols and ethics applications.
How is participant data protected?
Protecting participant information is a core design principle of RxFood. We use industry-standard security practices, access controls, and data protection measures to help ensure participant data remains secure and accessible only to authorized users.
Where is study data stored?
We can provide details regarding data storage locations, retention policies, and security controls as part of the onboarding and ethics review process.
How is AI-generated information handled?
We can provide documentation describing how AI-supported features operate, including details regarding data processing and applicable privacy and security considerations.
What dietary information does RxFood collect?
RxFood captures detailed dietary intake information and provides nutrition analysis based on a comprehensive food database. Reports can include macronutrients, micronutrients, food groups, and additional nutrition-related insights depending on the study requirements.
Can RxFood be used for 3-day food records?
Yes. This is one of the most common research use cases. Participants can complete dietary logging over defined assessment periods such as 3-day food records, making the process easier and more standardized than traditional paper-based methods.
Can multiple assessments be collected throughout a study?
Yes. RxFood supports repeated dietary assessments at multiple study timepoints, including baseline and follow-up measurements.
What happens if a participant does not complete their food logs?
Study administrators can monitor participant progress and completion status. Specific workflows can be established based on study requirements.
How long do participant invitations remain active?
Invitation workflows can be adjusted to match the enrollment and onboarding requirements of your study.
Can manually collected dietary data be entered into RxFood?
Depending on the study design, we can discuss options for incorporating dietary recall information and other manually collected nutrition data.
What reports are available?
RxFood can generate participant-level nutrition reports, dietary summaries, and study-related outputs. Reporting options can be tailored to meet the needs of your research protocol.
Can reports be customized for our study?
Yes. We can work with your team to determine which sections and metrics are most relevant to your research objectives and customize reports accordingly.
Can reports be delivered directly to study staff?
Yes. We can discuss workflows that allow study personnel, clinicians, dietitians, or researchers to access participant reports for review and analysis.
What nutrients are included in the nutrition analysis?
RxFood provides a comprehensive nutrient analysis based on extensive food composition data sources. We are happy to review nutrient coverage and reporting requirements for your specific study.
Can participant data be exported for research analysis?
Yes. Study teams can receive exports containing participant-level data suitable for statistical analysis and research reporting.
Are CSV and Excel exports available?
Yes. Data exports can be provided in commonly used formats such as CSV and Excel to support downstream research and analytics workflows.
Can we receive a complete study dataset?
Yes. End-of-study exports can be generated containing all relevant participant data collected during the study period.
Can data exports be scheduled throughout the study?
We can discuss study-specific requirements and determine the most appropriate approach for ongoing data access and reporting.
Can RxFood be integrated with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data?
Yes. We have worked with studies involving CGM platforms and can discuss available integration and workflow options based on your study design.
Can participants using existing integrations remain anonymous?
Yes. We can work with research teams to develop workflows that balance participant anonymity with study-specific technical requirements.
How is pricing structured for research studies?
Research study pricing is based on factors such as the number of participants, the number of dietary assessments being collected, reporting requirements, implementation needs, and study duration.
Are there implementation fees?
Implementation fees may apply depending on study complexity, onboarding requirements, configuration needs, and reporting requirements.
Are participants charged if they are invited but never use the platform?
Licensing and billing models can vary depending on the specific study design. We are happy to discuss the most cost-effective approach for your project.
Still Have Questions?
We work closely with researchers, clinicians, research coordinators, and academic institutions to ensure successful implementation of RxFood in research studies. If you have specific protocol requirements, reporting needs, privacy questions, or integration requests, our team would be happy to discuss your project.