WeGuide Programs: Records and Participants explained

Within WeGuide, clinicians, researchers and administrators can create new programs to engage with participants. In this article, we will explain how our programs work, what records and participant types are and what participants are. You can also watch the video underneath:

What is a Record?

When you set up a program in WeGuide, you will need to define the subject of this program: the person or thing that we're collecting data for and is at the centerpiece of your program. We call this the Record. 

Underneath a few examples of programs and their records:

• Understand if a baby has a food allergy. The baby is the record of this program.
• Educate and train diabetes patients to take care of their own health. The diabetes patient is the record.
• Monitor and manage asthma of adolescent patients. The adolescent patient is the record.

Records & Participant Types

Now that we've defined what a record is, it is time to start collecting data for this record. In other to collect data, we will need to create a Participant Type. A participant type is a type of person that will collect data for the record. Examples of participant types are Patient, Doctor, Caregiver, Teacher, Nurse, Father, Mother etc. Within a program, you can have multiple participant types, all collecting data about the record. 

A few examples:

• Understand if a baby has a food allergy. The baby is the record. The mother and father will collect data about the food intake of the baby. The following participant types can be added:
  • Record: Baby
    • Participant Type 1 = Mother
    • Participant Type 2 = Father

• Educate and train diabetes patients to take care of their own health. The diabetes patient is the record. In this case, the diabetes patient is a participant type as well, since they will be collecting data about their own health. A doctor will also complete data frequently. The following participant types can be added:
  • Record: Diabetic patient 
    • Participant 1 = Patient
    • Participant 2 = Doctor

• Monitor and manage diabetes type 1. The diabetes patient is the record. They need to monitor their own symptoms and the doctor will frequently fill in forms about them. The following participant types can be added:
  • Record: Diabetes patient
    • Participant 1 = Diabetes patient
    • Participant 2 = Doctor

As you can see, the Record can be similar to the Participant type, in case we want to collect self-reported data. 

A record and their participant types. In the example, the diabetic patient (record) has two participant types: 1) the diabetic patient and 2) the doctor. 

Participants & Participants types

Now that we've defined Records and Participant types, we can explain Participants. Participants are users within our system, that can be attached to a participant type, for a record inside a program. So Dr Melinda Fox can be assigned to the Doctor participant type in a program that is about Diabetes Type 1. Melinda, which is one user in our system, can belong to multiple participants. So she is able to collect data for multiple patients, all from the same account. See underneath for a visual representation:

Dr Melinda Fox is assigned to two records within the Diabetes Type 1 program. She is the doctor on records and will collect data for both diabetes patients. The diabetes patients themselves are also assigned to a record. 

As you can see above, a participant can belong to multiple records inside one program. But the same participant is also able to belong to a record in another program. So in the same example, Melissa is able to be the Doctor on a different program, for example, a Diabetes type 2 program. See underneath for an example:

In this example, each program has 2 records. Melinda is associated with all records as the Doctor. So she is collecting data for 4 different patients. 

With that, now you understand what Programs, Records, Participant Types and Participants are, good job! We only have to explain the kind of programs we have now, which will be easier.

What is a self-reported program?

A self-reported program is a program where the record and the participant type are the same. So a diabetes patient collected data about themselves, without the involvement of any other participant type.

The self-reported programs are used for simple studies that only rely on self-reported data. One big advantage of these programs is that participants can self-enroll in them, which is explained in another support article.

What is a Complex program?

Very simple, a program that is not self-reported. So any kind of program that has more than one participant type or where there is more than self-reported data. On complex programs, you can also add record attributes, which is explain in another support article.

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