The development and evaluation of a PDA-based method for public health surveillance data collection in developing countries
The development and evaluation of a PDA-based method for public health surveillance data collection in developing countries
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DOI：
10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2009.03.002
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发表时间：
2009-08-01
影响因子：
4.9
通讯作者：
Pryor, Jan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Yu, Ping;de Courten, Maximilian;Pryor, Jan
背景和目的：世界各地的公共卫生机构，特别是发展中国家的公共卫生机构，经常同时使用EpiData和Epi Info，以满足其低成本公共卫生数据管理的需求;然而，目前的开源数据管理技术缺乏移动的组件，无法满足移动的公共卫生数据收集者的需求。本项目的目标是探索通过开发和试验基于个人数字助理（PDA）的数据收集/输入系统来填补这一空白的机会。它评估了这样一个系统是否可以提高效率，减少数据转录错误的公共监督数据收集在发展中国家为代表的Fiji.Methods：一个通用的PDA为基础的数据收集软件eSTEPS的开发。该软件和使用它收集的数据直接与EpiData接口。进行了实地试验，以测试使用eSTEPS收集公共卫生监测数据的可行性。该设计是一项交叉设计的随机对照试验。从斐济医学院招募的120名参与者被随机分配到六名采访者中的一名，接受两种方式之一的采访：（1）纸基调查，然后PDA调查和（2）PDA调查，然后纸基调查。通过错误率（逻辑范围错误/不一致、跳过错误、缺失值、日期或时间字段错误和不正确的数据类型）衡量数据质量。在调查过程的三个阶段评估了工作流程和成本：（1）准备数据收集工具，（2）数据收集和（3）数据输入，验证和清理。用户接受度也进行了评估，在两组的参与者：（1）数据收集者和（2）调查participations.Results：20.8%的纸质问卷中的错误被发现在使用PDA收集的数据集。62%的参与者认为基于PDA的问卷需要更少的时间来完成。从120名参与者中收集的基于PDA的数据的数据输入、验证和清理总共花费了1.5小时，比使用纸和笔所需的20.5小时减少了93.26%。基于PDA的协议也显著降低了成本。数据收集者和参与者都喜欢使用PDA而不是纸张收集数据。试验结果证明，eSTEPS是一个可行的解决方案，在现场的公共卫生监测数据收集。该软件的几个不足之处也被确定，并将在下一个版本中得到解决。结论：eSTEPS提供的潜力，以满足需要一个有效的移动的公共卫生数据收集工具，在外地使用。eSTEPS现场试验证明PDA比纸张更有效地收集公共卫生调查数据。它还大大减少了数据输入中的错误。后者的好处是，软件使用户能够灵活地建立自己的约束条件，以控制数据输入的数据类型、范围和逻辑。(C)2009爱思唯尔爱尔兰有限公司保留所有权利。
Background and purpose: EpiData and Epi Info are often used together by public health agencies around the world, particularly in developing countries, to meet their needs of low-cost public health data management; however, the current open source data management technology lacks a mobile component to meet the needs of mobile public health data collectors. The goal of this project is to explore the opportunity of filling this gap through developing and trial of a personal digital assistant (PDA) based data collection/entry system. It evaluated whether such a system could increase efficiency and reduce data transcription errors for public surveillance data collection in developing countries represented by Fiji.Methods: A generic PDA-based data collection software eSTEPS was developed. The software and the data collected using it directly interfaces with EpiData. A field trial was conducted to test the viability of public health surveillance data collection using eSTEPS. The design was a randomised, controlled trial with cross-over design. 120 participants recruited from the Fiji School of Medicine were randomly assigned to be interviewed by one of six interviewers in one of the two ways: (1) paper-based survey followed by PDA survey and (2) PDA survey followed by paper-based survey. Data quality was measured by error rates (logical range errors/inconsistencies, skip errors, missing values, date or time field errors and incorrect data type). Work flow and cost were evaluated in three stages of the survey process: (1) preparation of data collection instrument, (2) data collection and (3) data entry, validation and cleaning. User acceptance was also evaluated in the two groups of participants: (1) data collectors and (2) survey participants.Results: None of the errors presented in 20.8% of the paper questionnaires was found in the data set collected using PDA. Sixty-two percent of the participants perceived that the PDA-based questionnaire took less time to complete. Data entry, validation and cleaning for the PDA-based data collection from 120 participants took a total of 1.5 h, a 93.26% reduction of time from 20.5 h required using paper and pen. The cost is also significantly reduced with PDA-based protocol. Both data collectors and participants prefer to use PDA instead of paper for data collection. The trial results prove that eSTEPS is a feasible solution for public health surveillance data collection in the field. Several deficiencies of the software were also identified and would be addressed in the next version.Conclusion: eSTEPS offers the potential to meet the need for an effective mobile public health data collection tool for use in the field. The eSTEPS field trial proves that PDA was more efficient than paper for public health survey data collection. it also significantly reduced errors in data entry. The later benefit was derived from the software providing its users with the flexibility of building their own constraints to control the data type, range and logic of data entry. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.