An evaluation of commercial school health software for use in multisite research studies

Multisite research studies are an ideal way to help specialty nursing organizations move toward evidence-based practice. A necessary requisite of such studies, the ability to collect data efficiently and accurately, can be addressed by adapting commercially available software to the research. This article reviews six commercial software packages designed for school nurses as to their appropriateness for use with multisite studies. The three major criteria considered were (a) whether the software is sophisticated enough to meet the demands of research, (b) whether it is user-friendly, and (c) whether it has reasonable technical specifications. The strengths, weaknesses, appropriateness, and costs of each of the products are reviewed.