This presentation will address the problems encountered, strategies developed, and benefits accrued from moving one agency from cumbersome, grant-specific, paper-based data gathering to an Internet-based system that focuses on program commonalties and the agency's over-arching goals - to increase the diversity of health care providers and provide health care to underserved populations.
More specifically, we will discuss the development of the Bureau of Health Professions' Electronic Data Collection Instrument (EDCI) which combines the Bureau's Comprehensive Performance Management System and grantees' annual Uniform Progress Reports.
Our focus is tri-fold:
Cultural: how the agency was convinced to accept new methodology; the impact of agency inexperience with software development on the process; the ramifications of new technology on the agency’s standard operating procedures - including the transition from primarily narrative descriptions to quantitative measures.
Analytic: challenges providing uniform measures for 30 diverse programs; the differences, similarities, and (dis)advantages between paper and electronic data collection; the development of internal validity controls – their desirability and limitations.
Technological: software engineering strategies that provided flexibility while minimizing costs (e.g., use of meta-data to facilitate ever-changing data collection parameters), user interface design appropriate for low- and high-end computers; identification of software logical designs; security requirements.
Finally, we will conclude with our thoughts on
(1) The (dis)advantages and generalizability of electronic data collection for grants processing and similar wide-scale data collection;
(2) The impact of evolving technology on software development in the health field; and
(3) The costs of electronic versus paper data collection - initial, maintenance, and future.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will have a better understanding of (1) The advantages and disadvantages of Internet-based data collection; (2) The desirability/limitations of validity controls in electronic data collection; (3) Technological challenges in converting from paper to electronic data collection; (4) Technological strategies that will facilitate the flexibility needed to respond to the inevitable changes in future requirements.
Keywords: Internet Tools, Performance Measurement
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Bureau of Health Professions/HRSA
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: I am an employee of Houston Associates, Inc., and work on a contract with the Bureau of Health Professions (HRSA).