Remote data entry

A remote data entry (RDE) system is a computerized system designed for the collection of data in electronic format. The term is most commonly applied to a class of software used in the life sciences industry for collecting patient data from participants in clinical research studies—research of new drugs and/or medical devices.

Typically, RDE systems provide:
 * a graphical user interface component for data entry
 * a validation component to check user data
 * a reporting tool for analysis of the collected data

RDE software was started in the mid- to late-1980s as software installed locally on portable computers with modems. It has largely been replaced by a newer generation of software called electronic data capture, or EDC, that provides the same type of functionality over the Internet using web pages.