Participant Management
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      Track Adherence

      One of Labfront’s most valuable features is the ability to monitor your participants throughout the project to ensure tasks are being performed and data is being collected.  

      -👨‍🔬 For Researchers -

      This article will cover how to manage participant adherence using Labfront, including:

       

      Note

      This article covers tracking adherence through the Adherence page, but the Overview page can also be helpful to improve data collection--from viewing data collection progress to sending out notifications with one click. Learn more→

      Adherence Page

      At any time during your project, you can sign in to Labfront and select the Adherence tab to check if participants have connected with your project, tasks are being completed and physiological data is being collected. 
      Adherence Tab

      Navigating the Adherence Page

      The Adherence page shows important information regarding the participants' data collection.  It’s a great way to monitor adherence and make timely interventions.  
      Adherence dashboard (1)
       

      Note

      All times on the Adherence dashboard are based on the participants' local time. 

       
      Last Seen denotes the most recent time that the participant's Labfront Companion app was connected to the internet. If a participant has not yet used their invite code to connect to your study, their Last Seen status will display Not Yet Joined.
       
      Adherence - Last Seen 

      Viewing Participant Data

      The default view when you land on the Adherence page is the Task Completion view, but you can also view heat maps according to your needs.

      Task Completion View

      In this view, you can see which participants are completing tasks and check if they are syncing their data.

      task-completion-view

      If you only want to look at specific tasks, select the View dropdown menu dropdown_menu_small and select which tasks you would like to see have been completed or not.  

       view-by-tasks
       

      Heat Maps

      With heat maps, you can more easily see key information for your adherence tracking to catch issues early.

      heat-maps

      The colors are based on the number of hours of wear time or data collection time. 

      heat-map-key

      Garmin Wear Time

      See how long participants are wearing their devices.

      garmin-wear-time

      ⚠️ Is the wear time lower than expected?
      If the participant is not wearing their smartwatch as often as they should be, we recommend sending them a notification.

       

      BBI Collection Time

      For BBI/Heart Rate Interval, you'll be able to view the total amount of time BBI data was collected for that day.
      bbi-collection-time
      ⚠️ Is the BBI lower than the device wear time?
      There may sometimes be a discrepancy because Garmin devices use different methods to measure heart rate and beat-to-beat intervals.  Ensuring a snug fit and minimizing movement can help improve accuracy. We also recommend users update their firmware regularly. 

      Daily Data Collected By Each Participant

      Click on any participant's daily data to get a more in-depth look into their data collection for the day.
      In this view, you can see the metrics collected from Garmin Connect and Labfront Companion for the day as well as which tasks have been completed, how many times they were completed, and at what time.
      For timer tasks, you can even view the task duration as well.
       

      Adherence - Participant Data@2x

       Frame 2760
       

      💡 Tip

      If you notice a participant has not been completing tasks or collecting the right data, you can send push notifications to remind them and avoid further data loss.

       

      Sending Push Notifications

      If when viewing the adherence page, you notice some participants have not been regularly completing tasks or syncing their data, you can send a push notification to remind them.

      Learn more about sending push notifications in this article.

      Adherence - Notifications

       

      FAQs

      How do I know if participants are wearing the devices correctly? 

      You can use the heat maps on the Adherence dashboard to track device wear time and ensure participants are following the research protocol.

      How often should I check the data?

      For most studies, we recommend checking at least once a week to prevent data loss and ensure participants are complying with the study requirements.

      If your data collection period is only a few days, we recommend checking once a day. 

      Can I send reminders to participants automatically? 

      Yes, you can schedule automatic reminders via Labfront.

      Learn more about scheduling task reminders→

      Where can I find more resources to help participants troubleshoot common issues?

      We provide detailed guides and videos in our Help Center to assist participants with common issues such as syncing devices and updating the app.

      Find participant app troubleshooting tips here→