Collection and Analysis of Data

CPH 608Spring 2015

Collecting Data

What is data collection?

• “A process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes”

- The Office of Research Integrity, US DHHS

Let’s make it simple…

• Collecting data involves– gathering information based on your research

hypothesis and study design – recording information in an appropriate way, and– organizing information to answer the research

hypothesis.

• Observation• Interviews• Focus Group Discussions• Testing• Surveys• Recordings • and so on…

Survey

Method or Tool?

• A method of selecting relatively large sample of subjects from a study population, proceeded by collection of a relatively small amount of data from those subjects.

- International J for Quality in Health Care 2003: 15 (3), pp. 261-266

Survey Approach

• Face-to-Face interviews• Telephone interviews• Postal questionnaires• Online questionnaires

-Qualtrics- Survey Monkey- REDCap- SurveyGizmo- kwiksurveys- SoGoSurvey- ...

REDCap

• Research Electronic Data Capture• Created by Vanderbilt University in 2004 and supported by

a consortium of 1,324 institutions in 88 countries (as of January 28, 2015)

• Intuitively designed• Secure on any device having internet access• Robust and Flexible• New features are developed and released regularly• You, as the user, has full control over your project: defining,

displaying, and storing data, and modifying, and collaborating your project.

REDCap is growing

Total users: 206,736 and increasing

Map of REDCap Consortium Partners

Create a Project

• Research Question: To study about local public health delivery system and how they how they evolve over time.

• Study population– Local health jurisdictions

• Variables of interests:– Demographic variables– Public Health Activities in the community– Overall assessment of local public health system– Overall assessment of population health

Request REDCap Account:https://redcap.uky.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=wqsDEW

Enable any instrument as a survey and then collect data for that instrument from survey respondents via a public survey link or unique survey link emailed to each participant.

Descriptive Text

Checkboxes (Multiple answers)

Multiple Choice – Radio Buttons (Single answer)

Yes-No

Branching logics

Record Status

Data Export

learndataanalysis.wordpress.com

Analysis

"What gets measured gets done." —Anonymous