Coordination and Pilot Implementation of a Standardized Data Collection for Touching Hands.

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Surgical Outcomes Research
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Touching Hands provides essential hand surgeries to underserved global communities.
• Systematic data collection is crucial for evaluating program effectiveness and impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a systematic data collection method for the Touching Hands program.
• To assess patient outcomes, volunteer impact, disease burden alleviation, and cost-effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Research electronic data capture (REDCap) for secure data management.
• Employed the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire for patient-reported outcomes.
• Administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services (Medical Personnel) survey to assess volunteer impact.
• Collected case information to calculate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and cost-effectiveness.

Main Results:

• The data collection system was implemented across 4 domestic and 3 international mission sites in 2020-2021.
• Initial implementation demonstrated the feasibility of using REDCap for data collection in diverse settings.

Conclusions:

• A REDCap database offers a viable platform for standardized and centralized patient and volunteer data collection for Touching Hands missions.
• Significant limitations necessitate further modification and optimization of the data collection framework for comprehensive evaluation.