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Use of audio-enhanced personal digital assistants for school-based data collection.

PURPOSE: To review the different data collection options available to school-based researchers and to present the preliminary findings on the use of audio-enhanced personal digital assistants (APDA) for use in school-based data collection. METHODS: A newly developed APDA system was used to collect baseline data from a sample of 645 seventh grade students enrolled in a school-based intervention study. Evaluative measures included student response, time to completion, and data quality (e.g., missingness, internal consistency of responses). Differences in data administration and data quality were examined among three groups of students: students newer to the United States speaking English as a second language; special education students; and students not newer to the United States receiving regular education. RESULTS: The APDA system was well received by students and was shown to offer improvements in data administration (increased portability, time to completion) and reduced missing data. Although time to completion and proportion of missing data were similar across the three groups of students, psychometric properties of the data varied considerably. CONCLUSIONS: The APDA system offers a promising new method for collecting data in the middle school environment. Students with cognitive deficits and language barriers were able to complete the survey in a similar amount of time without additional help; however, differences in data quality suggest that limitations in comprehension of the questions remained even though the questions were read to the respondents. More research on the use of APDA is necessary to fully understand the effect of data collection mode with special populations.

Adolescent↗

Complication data collection: a prospective, standardised, coded system for otolaryngology or other branches of surgery.

This system for interdepartmental collection of data on surgical complications should, though designed for otolaryngology, be applicable to any surgical specialty. The system under which data are collected prospectively on a coded proforma has been shown to document considerably higher complication rates than retrospective, uncoded data collection and, as consultants are unlikely to report non-existent complications, we assume that the higher rates are more valid. The system also provides a list of factors which must be standardised before data on complication rates from different units can usefully be pooled or comparisons made between them.

Clinical Competence↗

Design of the 1986 National Mortality Followback Survey: considerations on collecting data on decedents.

The first National Mortality Followback Survey in 18 years was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics on a national probability sample of adult deaths in the United States in 1986. Data were collected on (a) socioeconomic differentials in mortality, (b) prevention of premature death by inquiring into the association of risk factors and cause of death, (c) health care services provided in the last year of life, and (d) the reliability of certain items reported on the death certificate. In addition to demographic characteristics of the decedent available from the death certificate and the questionnaire, information was secured on cigarette smoking practices, alcohol use, food consumption patterns, use of hospital, nursing home, and hospice care, sources of payment for care, duration of disability, and assistance with activities of daily living. A rich body of data was collected for analysis. In a large pretest, response was received from 87.3 percent of the next of kin of the decedents. The pretest included several methodologic studies to increase the level and quality of response in the main survey. Response rates were compared for data collection by mail, telephone, and personal interview. A test of certified mail and first class mail was conducted. Response to two forms of different lengths was compared. An experiment was also conducted on the effect of inclusion of boxes for a "don't know" response. A public use data tape is available from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Adult↗

Safety and efficacy of nifedipine 20 mg tablets in hypertension using electronic data collection in general practice.

Electronic data collection was used in this open study to survey the safety and efficacy of nifedipine when used in the treatment of 3972 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension. The safety and efficacy results are presented and discussed as well as the advantages, disadvantages and reliability of electronic data collection. The validity of data collected electronically has not previously been tested, such data having been assumed to be reliable. The pattern of adverse events reported in this study is compared with the pattern of reports to the Committee on Safety of Medicine (CSM), to Bayer UK and in a large paper-based study of nifedipine, in order to test these assumptions. Reported adverse medical events pre-treatment, prior to entry to the study and noted at visit 1, were compared with reports during treatment in the study at visits 2 and 3. The expected incidence of flushing and headache was seen which diminished with continued treatment. Reductions were seen in dyspnoea and impotence. Ankle oedema was observed and was not reduced by time alone. After one month of treatment with nifedipine 20 mg tablets twice daily, 66.5% of patients had a sitting phase V diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or below and 79% of 95 mmHg or below.

Blood Pressure↗

Computer assisted data collection for stereology: rationale and description of point counting stereology (PCS) software.

The paper describes microcomputer software for point counting stereology. Stereology includes a collection of statistical methods that quantify the images of light and transmission electron microscopy. The methods use test grids placed over images to collect raw data, which includes counts of points, intersections, transections, and profiles. In turn, the counts are included in stereological equations that give estimates of compartmental volumes, surfaces, lengths, or numbers. These parameters describe the composition of a structure in three-dimensional space. The PCS (point counting stereology) System Software III serves as a data collection, storage, and management tool. Users set up point counting protocols without programming, enter data by pressing predefined function (MS-DOS) or alphabetic keys (UNIX), store data in files, select files for analysis, and calculate results as stereological densities. The latest version of the PCS software includes a new user interface and is designed as a research "front end" that can feed data either into the calculation tools of a stereology tutorial (Bolender, 1992, this issue) or into the analysis routines of quantitative morphology databases (Bolender and Bluhm, 1992).

Animals↗

Major technology issues in surgical data collection.

Surgical scheduling and data collection is a field that has a long history as well as a bright future. Historically, surgical cases have always involved some amount of data collection. Surgical cases are scheduled and then reviewed. The classic method, that large black surgical log, actually still exists in many hospitals. In fact, there is nothing new about the recording or reporting of surgical cases. If we only needed to record the information and produce a variety of reports on the data, then modern electronic technology would function as a glorified fast index card box--or, in computer database terms, a simple flat file database. But, this is not the future of technology in surgical case management. This article makes the general case for integrating surgical data systems. Instead of reviewing specific software, it essentially addresses the issues of strategic planning related to this important aspect of medical information systems.

Appointments and Schedules↗

Implementing computerised workload data collection in rural primary health care.

OBJECTIVE: Describes the implementation of a computerised information system to collect workload data and discusses feedback from staff evaluation of use and value. DESIGN: Feedback interviews following service implementation. SETTING: Remote rural primary health care, Scotland. SUBJECTS: Thirty-three primary health care staff. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Not relevant, as the study was service development with qualitative evaluation. RESULTS: Findings of evaluation interviews indicate a number of themes common to remote rural practice that make implementing a computerised information system problematical. These include: logistical problems caused by small practice teams and wide areas covered; inadequate allowance for recording of blurred roles and the wide range of non-clinical duties carried out; lack of local contextual and cultural information, which is necessary to make sense of data collected. Remote rural health professionals found reports from the system of limited value as they felt they already had good knowledge of local activities and had few opportunities, due to small teams, to use data for service redesign. CONCLUSION: Remote rural primary care is underpinned by a number of organisational and philosophical features that require understanding when considering the implementation of initiatives developed in an urban working environment.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Challenges in data collection, analysis, and distribution of information in community coalition demonstration projects.

PURPOSE: This article summarizes the experiences of 13 grantees funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Community Coalition Partnership for the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy in collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data as required under the requirements of this community-based demonstration project. While describing the challenges associated with these activities, this article suggests how future demonstration projects can better support both centralized and locally based data collection and analysis and enhance their usefulness for various audiences. METHODS: A multi-method data collection approach was employed that included: (a) a systematic review of semiannual progress reports submitted by the grantees to CDC between 1998 and 2002, (b) telephone interviews with program directors and evaluators and (c) site visits to four of the 13 grantee locations. In all, 46 individuals were interviewed, for an average of 3.5 respondents per grantee site. Data collected for this article focused on three data collection/analysis activities required as part of the Partnership: needs assessments conducted during the planning phase of the project, the collection of cross-site indicator data and project-specific studies. RESULTS: Grantees from the 13 Partnership communities indicated that two of the data collection/analysis requirements (the needs and assets assessments and project-specific studies) were useful and should be included in future demonstration projects. The collection of cross-site indicator data was found to be more challenging. Across all areas of data collection/analysis, the grantees' efforts were complicated by data collection challenges, difficulties conducting studies of local programs, and uncertainties about how local efforts fit with national goals for the demonstration projects. CONCLUSION: The data collection/analysis activities within the Partnership were viewed by the grantees as being both supportive of project efforts, but also challenging. On the positive side, the presence of community-based evaluators helped the grantees to profile community needs, identify program interventions, provide participant feedback, and track community mobilization efforts. Collection of the cross-site indicator data was difficult for many of the grantees and not always connected to locally determined objectives. The value of these activities can be enhanced in the future if greater attention is given to creating more clearly defined goals at the demonstration project level and to providing guidance on scientifically valid data collection and analysis techniques to maximize the usefulness of local efforts.

Adolescent↗

Automated crystal mounting and data collection for protein crystallography.

To increase the efficiency of diffraction data collection for protein crystallographic studies, an automated system designed to store frozen protein crystals, mount them sequentially, align them to the X-ray beam, collect complete data sets, and return the crystals to storage has been developed. Advances in X-ray data collection technology including more brilliant X-ray sources, improved focusing optics, and faster-readout detectors have reduced diffraction data acquisition times from days to hours at a typical protein crystallography laboratory [1,2]. In addition, the number of high-brilliance synchrotron X-ray beam lines dedicated to macromolecular crystallography has increased significantly, and data collection times at these facilities can be routinely less than an hour per crystal. Because the number of protein crystals that may be collected in a 24 hr period has substantially increased, unattended X-ray data acquisition, including automated crystal mounting and alignment, is a desirable goal for protein crystallography. The ability to complete X-ray data collection more efficiently should impact a number of fields, including the emerging structural genomics field [3], structure-directed drug design, and the newly developed screening by X-ray crystallography [4], as well as small molecule applications.

Crystallization↗

Hand-held computers for ergonomics data collection.

The new generation of inexpensive, powerful, hand-held computers allows ergonomists to collect field data more easily and reliably. Typical programs are described for data collection by questionnaires, event timing and occurrence sampling. Further programs evaluate basic human capabilities using the keyboard and screen as control and display.

Journal Article↗

Significance of data collection. Viewpoint - academia.

The academic view of the collection of data relating to the health of workers must reflect a concern for the value of the data for research purposes. Most routine data systems do not provide information of research quality, and often are not appropriate or sufficiently detailed to allow specific hypotheses to be tested. the cost of serving research purposes in such systems is likely to be prohibitive. However, the monitoring of illness in groups of employees can and should serve as a most valuable research resource when viewed as a screening and detection mechanism. Therefore, a data collection system should be carefully designed with research needs in mind, so that it will be appropriately sensitive and consistent.

Epidemiologic Methods↗

Data collection as an educational process.

Data collection, an experiential method for learning about the research process, may affect the attitudes and future research involvement of nurse data collectors. This study describes the effects of the data collection experience on nurses' perceptions of nursing research and the research environment and on their plans for research involvement. Implications of using the data collection experience as an educational process about research are included.

Adult↗

Using a hand-held computer to collect data in an orthopedic outpatient clinic: a randomized trial of two survey methods.

OBJECTIVES: In a randomized study, the authors examine how data can be collected at the point of care. Specifically, examining to what extent handheld computer data collection systems introduce bias or increase respondent difficulty. METHODS: Volunteers were randomized to 1 of 2 survey methods: the hand-held computer or a paper and pencil form of similar content. Differences between group scale scores were compared using the Wilcoxon (rank sum) test. RESULTS: The hand-held computer system produced comparable scores to paper and pencil surveys. However, there was evidence of lower internal consistency reliability with the handheld computer. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the comparability of the hand-held computer methodology to the paper and pencil methodology in obtaining survey information in an ambulatory clinic. The hand-held computer method of survey data collection offers an alternative to paper methods when point-of-care administration is acceptable. Preliminary evidence shows that this method produces comparable results to paper forms.

Adolescent↗

Using PDAs for data collection.

Advances in handheld computer technology are making data collection faster, easier, and more accurate. In this article, the use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) to collect data for a study on elder neglect is described and evaluated. Methods for integrating this technology into a research study are discussed as are suggestions for increasing the performance of data collectors using these devices. The authors offer some practical solutions for researchers and clinicians planning to use PDAs in their research.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Colon resection in elderly patients: comparison of data of a single surgical department with collective data from the Czech Republic.

Colorectal cancer is predominantly a disease of elderly people, since over 70% of cases occur in those aged 65 years or older. Clinicians have to frequently decide whether major surgery is justified in elderly patients with a limited life expectancy. Our retrospective study was aimed to compare outcomes of primary surgery for colorectal cancer in the elderly patient population. The evaluated data were collected from the 1st Department of Surgery, Charles University, and from all over the Czech Republic. Patients were divided into three groups: the young-old (21-59 years), the older-old (60-69 years), and the oldest-old (>69 years) patients. In the collective data the youngest and the oldest groups differ significantly in the rate of early postoperative complications (12.3% versus 17.6%, p<0.001). The number of complications associated with the emergency procedures was twice as high compared to elective surgery in all groups (p<0.001). There was no correlation between age and length of hospital stay in the single surgery department. These data suggest that major oncology procedures may be undertaken in older patients in whom operative risk is reasonable, with acceptable rates of complications.

Adult↗