Computer-assisted data collection in multicenter epidemiologic research. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities...

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Health Informatics
• Clinical Research

Background:

• The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study involves 16,000 participants and extensive data collection.
• Traditional paper-based data collection methods can be time-consuming and prone to errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of implementing a computer-assisted data collection (CADC) system in a large cohort study.
• To assess the reactions of study staff and participants to the CADC system compared to paper-based methods.
• To examine the impact of CADC on data quality and collection efficiency.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study was conducted within the ARIC Study framework.
• Field Center staff were trained on the CADC system.
• Study participants' and staff's preferences for CADC versus paper-based systems were recorded.
• Data quality and collection times were compared between the two methods.

Main Results:

• All pilot study staff preferred the CADC system.
• 37% of participants preferred CADC, while 63% had no preference.
• No systematic differences in data quality were observed between CADC and paper-based methods.
• CADC required approximately 10% more time for data collection, keying, and editing compared to paper-based collection alone.

Conclusions:

• The CADC system is a feasible and acceptable method for data collection in large epidemiologic studies.
• CADC offers potential benefits for data quality through immediate entry and error detection.
• The ARIC CADC system can serve as a prototype for future standardized data collection in similar research settings.