Background/Purpose: The collection of patient reported outcomes requires accruing survey data from patients during routine medical visits. Many of these are paper-based and require manual data-entry for adequate analysis. However, entering surveys by hand is tedious, time consuming, and may result in entry-errors. Teleform data capture technology automates paper-based processes especially in high volume settings, decreases processing time and cuts personnel and material costs, but the accuracy of automated data capture has not been well documented in clinical settings. AIMS:To test the reliability of teleform captured data against traditional hand entered patient health outcomes data.
Methods: As a quality improvement initiative, we populated survey data from 50 patients using both methods in parallel. The survey had 43 multiple choice questions on health outcomes using a Likert scale. This scale was entered into the teleform program for each question. We programmed the teleform to ensure that each question had a response, and to alert the user for each missing response. We calculated internal consistency reliability by Cronbach alpha using a two-way random method to test for absolute agreement in item responses using the two methods. This analysis was repeated for each of the 43 items.
Results: The Internal consistency reliability estimates for 43 items ranged from 0.98 to 1.0. In the 7% of the items where the responses were not in 100% agreement, the discrepancy occurred by misclassification of the Likert category response by one point (0 and 1) in three different questions and subjects. This occurred due to human error in data entry by hand, or the scanner recognizing a small mark in the “0” response boxes.
Conclusion: Teleforms data-capturing for data entry is reliable and feasible for patient driven research in Rheumatology. This program has good reliability concerning correct data entry and is a faster way for data managers to capture large amounts of data in a shorter period.
Disclosure:
R. A. Mikolaitis,
None;
J. Cornejo,
None;
C. Alonzo,
None;
J. A. Block,
None;
M. Jolly,
GlaxoSmithKline,
5,
MedImmune,
7,
The Binding Site,
2,
Lupus Foundation of America,
2.
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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/is-automated-data-capture-as-reliable-as-manual-data-entry-in-survey-based-research/