A complete walkthrough for students collecting medication adherence data for the first time. If you have used REDCap or paper CRFs before, ATLAS will feel familiar within your first session.
STU-UNIC-ABCD-2026, sent to you by your supervisor or purchased at keys.adherence.cc; (2) your institution's ethics or IRB approval for medication adherence data collection; (3) a laptop or desktop computer running Chrome or Edge for the best experience.
New to ATLAS? This is the fastest path from zero to your first completed assessment. Full detail on each step is in the sections below.
Open atlas.adherence.cc, click Tracks A+B · Researcher, and enter your STU-XXXX-XXXX-2026 key. Check your email for a 6-digit verification code and enter it to complete sign-in. Full sign-in walkthrough →
Once in your dashboard, click the Start New Patient Session button. A modal opens asking which instrument to administer. For most student projects, select MMAS-8 Only. If your protocol includes the PEACS, select MMAS-8 + PEACS.
Click Continue to Informed Consent →. ATLAS automatically generates a unique Patient ID for this session — for example PT-A3F7. Write this ID in your paper CRF or study log now so you can link the ATLAS record to your other data. You cannot retrieve a different ID for this session later.
The patient reads the digital consent form and ticks the checkbox to agree. The assessment begins immediately after they confirm. The patient answers all 8 MMAS-8 questions and submits. The device returns to your dashboard automatically when done.
The MMAS-8 panel updates immediately with the new submission. The patient's score, pattern (INA / UNA / Mixed / High), and session Patient ID appear in the Active Patients table. Repeat from Step 2 for your next patient.
ATLAS (Adherence Tracking and Longitudinal Assessment System) is a validated digital platform for collecting, storing, and analysing medication adherence data using the MMAS-8 scale and PEACS instrument. Think of it as a secure, cloud-based replacement for a paper CRF — except it scores automatically, maps submissions to a global dataset in real time, and produces IRB-ready export files.
When a patient completes the MMAS-8 through ATLAS, their anonymised response is stored in your private cohort — visible only to you and anyone else with your workspace key. No personally identifiable information is collected. The data is stored in Google Firebase (US data centres) with AES-256 encryption at rest.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Workspace key | Your unique access code (STU-XXXX-XXXX-2026). This is your cohort identifier. Keep it safe — anyone who has it can add data to your cohort. |
| MMAS-8 | The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, 8 items. The world's most validated self-report adherence instrument. Your workspace key includes a Letter of Permission to use it. |
| MAP | Multidimensional Adherence Parameters. The 8-item cross-sectional institutional instrument licensed through ATLAS for institutional and research use. |
| PEACS | Predictive Emergence Assessment for Clinical Services. A three-dimension instrument (BASE, MVMT, STRATA) that predicts sustained adherence behaviour. Available on the Student tier as a single-point snapshot. |
| INA / UNA | Intentional Non-Adherence / Unintentional Non-Adherence. ATLAS classifies every patient automatically based on their response pattern. |
| Global pool | Anonymised aggregate data from all ATLAS users worldwide. Your cohort data is isolated — it does not appear in the global pool unless you specifically enable that. |
| TPE · PE Domain Analysis | Theory of Predictive Emergence. An advanced MAP analytics layer (Researcher tier and above) that decomposes each patient's response pattern into three behavioural domains: Architecture (belief/decision), Execution (reliability), and Context (burden). Produces a single PE composite score (0–1) and identifies which domain is the primary constraint on adherence. Not available on the Student tier. |
| Architecture (A) | One of three PE domains. Derived from Q2, Q3, and Q6 — questions that capture whether forgetfulness and intentional decisions about skipping doses drive non-adherence. Low A indicates a belief or motivation problem. |
| Execution (E) | One of three PE domains. Derived from Q1, Q4, Q5, and Q8 — questions that capture behavioural reliability across everyday and disruption scenarios. Low E indicates a habit or systems problem. |
| Context (C) | One of three PE domains. Derived from Q7 — the patient's perceived burden of managing their medication. Low C means the patient finds their regimen difficult to manage, which amplifies both A and E problems. |
You will see the ATLAS entry screen — a globe on the left, a panel of options on the right. Do not be alarmed by the globe. It shows where other researchers are collecting data in real time. It has nothing to do with your data yet.
The four cards on the entry screen represent different pathways. Click the card labelled Tracks A+B · Researcher (the one that says "PI · Pharmacist · Clinician · Student"). A workspace key entry box will appear at the bottom of the screen.
Type your key exactly as it was sent to you — for example STU-UNIC-ABCD-2026. The system validates it against a secure database. The process takes 2–3 seconds.
After your key is validated, ATLAS sends a one-time passcode (OTP) to the email address registered to your workspace key. A blue verification panel appears on screen asking you to enter the code. The code is valid for 10 minutes.
info@adherence.cc with the subject "Your ATLAS verification code". If you still don't see it after 2 minutes, click Resend Code in the verification panel. If your workspace key does not have an email on file, contact your supervisor or info@adherence.cc to add one.
Type the 6-digit code into the verification panel and press Verify →. ATLAS confirms your identity and opens your workspace. This two-step process (key + OTP) keeps your cohort data secure even if your key is accidentally shared.
The green chip in the top-left corner of the dashboard shows your workspace identifier. This is your private cohort. Every assessment you collect will be stored here and only here.
Your dashboard has two main tracks side by side:
The top bar shows global statistics — these are from all ATLAS users worldwide and are not your data. Your data appears in the panels below.
Every assessment in ATLAS begins with a patient session. A session ties an instrument selection, a consent record, and a unique Patient ID together before the patient touches the screen.
Click Start New Patient Session in your dashboard. The session modal asks you to choose which instrument(s) to administer:
| Selection | What the patient sees | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| MMAS-8 Only | Consent → MMAS-8 questions → result | Standard adherence assessment; most student protocols |
| PEACS Only | Consent → PEACS questions → result | When MMAS-8 was collected separately and you need the PEACS dimension scores |
| MMAS-8 + PEACS | Consent → SDoH → MMAS-8 → PEACS → result | Combined session; SDoH answered once, applied to both instruments |
Click Continue to Informed Consent →. ATLAS generates a Patient ID (e.g. PT-A3F7) for this session and routes to the consent screen. Note the Patient ID in your study log before handing the device to the patient.
Once the session is started and the consent screen is displayed, hand your laptop or tablet to the patient. The patient reads the consent, ticks the checkbox, and proceeds through the assessment questions. When they submit, the device returns to your dashboard automatically.
Read each question aloud and select the patient's answer on their behalf. Use this when the patient has low literacy, vision impairment, or is not comfortable with technology. Start the session the same way — the scoring and data storage are identical regardless of who operates the device.
ZOE is an AI voice agent that guides the patient through the MMAS-8 verbally using the device's microphone. Start a patient session normally — when the MMAS-8 screen loads, activate ZOE from the instrument panel. The patient hears each question spoken aloud and responds naturally. ZOE interprets the response and records the answer. ZOE requires Chrome or Edge and microphone permission. The Student tier includes ZOE but does not include SOAP note generation.
Before every MMAS-8 assessment, patients see a digital consent screen. This screen explains:
The patient must actively tick the consent checkbox before proceeding. This consent record is timestamped and stored with their submission — which satisfies most ethics committee requirements for anonymous survey data.
The MMAS-8 consists of eight questions. Questions 1–7 are Yes/No. Question 8 asks about frequency of difficulty remembering medication.
Before the questions, patients are asked for their country, city (optional), medication name, condition, and basic demographics. All of this is optional — patients can skip any field they are not comfortable with. The MMAS-8 questions themselves are mandatory; a partial MMAS-8 cannot be submitted.
After submission, the patient sees a result screen showing:
This screen is for the patient. Click ← Exit or wait for it to return to the dashboard automatically after 30 seconds. The patient's data has already been saved to your cohort at the moment they submitted.
Return to your dashboard to see the submission counted. The MMAS-8 panel updates in real time. As you collect more data you will see:
Scroll down past the main instrument cards to find the Active Patients · Your Cohort table. This shows every individual patient record with their Patient ID (if you assigned one), MMAS-8 score, pattern classification, and date. You can search by Patient ID and sort by most recent or by score.
To export your cohort data for analysis in SPSS, R, Excel, or any other tool:
This downloads a comma-separated values file containing all your cohort records. The Student tier allows 50 exports per month. Each row is one patient assessment.
| Column | Contents |
|---|---|
patient_number | Your assigned Patient ID (if entered) |
score | MMAS-8 total score (0–8) |
q1–q8 | Individual question scores |
pattern | INA / UNA / Mixed / High |
country, city | Patient-reported location |
condition | Patient-reported medical condition |
drug_name | Patient-reported medication |
timestamp | Unix millisecond timestamp of submission |
institution_code | Your workspace key prefix (for identifying your cohort) |
mmas_pe (composite PE score, 0–1), mmas_a (Architecture domain), mmas_e (Execution domain), and mmas_c (Context domain). These are computed from the same Q1–Q8 responses and are automatically included in every export when the workspace role is Researcher or above. Student tier exports do not include these columns. If your protocol requires PE domain data in your analysis dataset, ask your supervisor to export under their Researcher key or request a tier upgrade.
Click " Cite Instruments → then find the Session Certificate button in the MMAS-8 panel. This generates a printable document showing your workspace, total submissions, countries covered, mean score, and a unique session ID. Print this to PDF and keep it with your ethics committee documentation.
Use this language when describing ATLAS in your application:
Your Letter of Permission for the MAP instrument is issued immediately when your workspace key is activated. It arrives as an HTML file attached to your welcome email. Open it in any browser and print to PDF — this is the document you submit to your ethics committee or IRB, and include in any publication. The letter is issued by Adherence Cartography and authorises the named researcher to use the MAP instrument for the study title specified at key issuance.
The letter includes a unique certificate number (format: MAP-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX) that can be verified by any journal editor or ethics officer at keys.adherence.cc/verify. Verification confirms the letter is genuine, active, and linked to a current ATLAS workspace subscription.
Most journals and ethics committees require a signed letter from the MAP intellectual property rights holder (Adherence Inc.) confirming you have permission to use the instrument. ATLAS provides two paths depending on where you are in your study. The flat-rate Publication License described in this section is available to students and self-funded researchers only. If your study was funded by a grant, contract, or institutional budget, publication rights are priced by study duration — contact info@adherence.cc instead of using the flat-rate flow.
| Letter of Permission (LOP) | Publication License |
|---|---|
| Included with any paid workspace subscription | One-time flat-rate payment — no subscription |
| Covers data collection and publication | Covers publication only (data already collected) |
| Valid while subscription is active; expires if cancelled | Permanent — never expires |
Key: MAP-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX | Key: PUB-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX |
| Right for you if: your study is ongoing or your subscription is active | Right for you if: study is complete, subscription lapsed or never started |
Both documents are accepted by journal editors and verifiable at keys.adherence.cc. If you have an active workspace subscription, your Letter of Permission is already included — you do not need to buy a Publication License.
ATLAS uses your own data as the integrity check. Rather than self-reporting participant counts, you upload your full dataset using the ATLAS standard template. The platform validates every record — checking score ranges, required fields, and geographic data — and plots each validated patient on the global ATLAS map. This map population is the proof of data provenance. The price tier and license scope are determined from this validated N automatically.
Go to atlas.adherence.cc?publish=1 — the Publication License flow opens directly, no workspace key required. (If you have an active workspace, you can also reach it via the 📄 Publish tab in your dashboard.)
Click Download Template to get the official ATLAS bulk upload spreadsheet. This is the only accepted format. Fill in one row per participant, using your de-identified data. Do not add or remove columns.
Drag and drop your completed spreadsheet (XLSX or XLS) onto the upload zone, or click to browse. ATLAS runs an automated security and format check. Each record that passes validation is immediately plotted on the global map. A progress bar shows the live count.
After upload succeeds (minimum 10 validated participants), the Publication License form opens automatically. Fill in:
The fee is calculated automatically from your validated N. A Stripe payment link opens in a new tab — pay securely with any major card. You do not need to create a Stripe account.
| Validated N | Fee (one-time) |
|---|---|
| 10 – 50 | $49 |
| 51 – 200 | $89 |
| 201 – 500 | $149 |
| 500+ | $249 |
After payment, click Verify Payment & Issue License inside the ATLAS modal. Within seconds your PUB-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX license key is displayed. The official Letter of Permission is simultaneously emailed to you as an HTML attachment — open it in any browser and print to PDF to produce the signed document.
Attach the PDF to your manuscript submission as a supplementary document, or paste the verification URL in your cover letter. Journal editors and peer reviewers can verify the license independently at keys.adherence.cc using the PUB- key number — no login required. The record is permanent and the verification URL never expires.
MAP- key) is already issued and covers both data collection and publication. Log in to your dashboard, go to the 📄 Publish tab, and download it from there. The Publication License is only needed if your subscription has lapsed or you collected data without an ATLAS workspace.
Contact info@adherence.cc with your workspace key prefix and the approximate timestamp of the test submission. We can remove individual records from your cohort. Alternatively, use the Patient ID field to mark test records (e.g. TEST-001) and exclude them during analysis using your export filter.
Yes. Multiple people can be logged into the same workspace simultaneously. All data goes to the same cohort. This is useful when multiple research coordinators are collecting data at the same site. Coordinate Patient ID assignment to avoid duplicates.
ATLAS requires all 8 MMAS-8 questions to be answered before submission. If a patient exits mid-way, no data is saved. Their partial responses are not recorded anywhere.
Yes — ATLAS has a built-in offline queue. If a patient submits an assessment while your device has no internet connection, the submission is saved locally in the browser's IndexedDB storage. When connectivity is restored, a yellow ⚡ Queued Submissions — Tap to Sync badge appears at the bottom-left of the screen. Tap it to push all queued submissions to your cohort at once.
This means you can collect in a clinic with no WiFi and sync at the end of the session over any connection. The patient sees the normal result screen immediately — the data just travels to Firebase later. If you close the browser before syncing, the queue persists until the next time you open ATLAS on the same device and browser.
Do not share your workspace key with your supervisor. Your workspace key is your private cohort identifier — anyone who holds it can submit data into your cohort and see everything in it. Sharing it introduces a risk of data contamination and breaks the audit trail that links your key to your ethics approval.
Supervisors have their own access path. Your institution will have been issued an Institution workspace key (format: INST-XXXX-2026) that gives your supervisor or department head a read-level dashboard showing all student and researcher cohorts linked to that institution. When your workspace key was issued, it was linked to your institution's key — your data is already visible to your supervisor through their own institution dashboard. Your supervisor does not need your key and should not ask for it.
If your supervisor does not yet have an institution account, ask your department administrator to contact info@adherence.cc to arrange one.
Yes — ATLAS supports bulk upload of manually collected assessments via a structured Excel template. This is the correct path when patients were assessed on paper forms, when data was collected at a site without internet access, or when you are importing historical records from another system.
How to use bulk upload:
.xlsm bulk upload template..xlsm files as coming from the internet and blocks macros by default — you will see a red security bar across the top of Excel when you open it. To enable macros before opening: right-click the downloaded file → Properties → tick the Unblock checkbox at the bottom of the General tab → click OK. Now open the file and the macros (Validate, Summary, Remove Example Row) will work correctly.
| Column | Notes |
|---|---|
Patient_Number | Your anonymised patient ID (e.g. PT-001). Required to link records to your paper forms. |
Assessment_Date | Date of the assessment in YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g. 2026-01-15). Used as the record timestamp in ATLAS. |
Q1–Q7 | Use the dropdowns — select YES or NO. Q5 is reverse-scored (YES = adherent). |
Q8_Frequency | Select from the dropdown: Never / Rarely / Sometimes / Usually / All of the time. |
Country, Condition, Drug_Name | Recommended but optional. |
.xlsm template is visible. Select your file. ATLAS validates each row, reports any errors (missing required fields, out-of-range values), and imports the valid records into your cohort.ATLAS identifies longitudinal records by matching the Patient_Number across rows. To log a patient at multiple timepoints, enter a separate row for each visit using the same Patient_Number and a different Assessment_Date each time:
| Patient_Number | Assessment_Date | Q1 | … | MMAS8_Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PT-001 | 2026-01-15 | NO | … | 6.75 |
PT-001 | 2026-04-15 | NO | … | 7.75 |
PT-001 | 2026-07-15 | YES | … | 5.75 |
When you export your cohort CSV, each row is one assessment — sort or filter by patient_number to group all timepoints for a given patient. In SPSS or R, use patient_number as your subject ID variable and timestamp (derived from Assessment_Date) as your time variable for repeated-measures or mixed-model analyses.
PT-001, PT-002). This lets you cross-reference the digital records against your paper originals for source data verification, which is required for GCP-compliant research.
PE Domain Analysis is an advanced analytics layer built on the Theory of Predictive Emergence (TPE). It decomposes each patient's MMAS-8 response pattern into three behavioural domains — Architecture (belief and decision), Execution (reliability), and Context (perceived burden) — and combines them into a single PE composite score from 0 to 1. A PE of 0.80 means the patient has high predicted behavioural stability; a PE of 0.40 means high risk of sustained non-adherence. The dominant low domain identifies the primary constraint — the one bottleneck most likely to drive non-adherence for that patient.
This feature is available on the Researcher, PI, and Institution tiers. It does not appear on the Student tier result screen or in Student CSV exports. If your thesis or dissertation requires PE domain data, two options are available: (1) ask your supervisor to export the cohort under their Researcher key — PE domain columns (mmas_pe, mmas_a, mmas_e, mmas_c) will be included; or (2) request a tier upgrade at keys.adherence.cc. PE is computed from the same Q1–Q8 responses already stored in every assessment, so upgrading applies retroactively to your entire existing cohort — no re-collection needed.
Your cohort data is filtered by your workspace key. The global pool on the spectator map and explorer mode does not show your individual cohort — it shows anonymised aggregates only. Your CSV export contains your records only.
Use the language selector dropdown at the top of the MMAS-8 screen to change the language before handing the device to a patient. If a language you need is missing, contact info@adherence.cc — we have translations available in 60+ languages and can activate additional ones for your workspace.
It depends on your subscription status and how your study was funded:
MAP- key) is already issued and included. Find it in your dashboard under the 📄 Publish tab. No extra cost.PUB- key) at atlas.adherence.cc?publish=1. One-time flat rate ($49–$249), permanent.Both the Letter of Permission and the Publication License are accepted by journals and IRB officers. The LOP is subscription-tied; the Publication License is permanent. Neither can retroactively cover data collected before subscription activation — if there is a gap in your coverage history, contact info@adherence.cc.
Yes. Direct them to keys.adherence.cc and have them enter your key number (either MAP- or PUB- format). The registry will confirm your name, institution, study title, and issuance date — no login required. Publication License keys never expire in the registry, so the verification link you give a journal today will still work in five years.