The document discusses the TAZAMA project's use of electronic data capture systems for demographic surveillance, verbal autopsies, and HIV surveys in Tanzania. It aims to improve data quality and timeliness. Electronic data capture is done using PDAs, netbooks and laptops with customized applications and validity checks. Challenges include equipment charging, data management, and technical issues. Proper planning, training, and supervision are needed before implementing electronic data capture systems.

1. The TAZAMA Experience:
Electronic Data Capture Systems
Presented by Akum Aveika
Tazama Project
Mobile Data Collection Seminar
27 September 2013

2. Background and rationale
• TAZAMA is based at National Institute for Medical
Research, Mwanza, Tanzania, and operates:
– Demographic Surveillance System (DSS), a longitudinal platform for
– Verbal Autopsy (VA) cause of death study
– HIV Serological and Sexual Behaviour Survey (SS)
– Links to government-run clinic services
• Electronic Data Capture (EDC) adopted in response to problems
of data quality, integrity and timeliness
• EDC aims to improved data quality through
– immediate (preliminary) data editing
– prompt provision of feedback to interviewers
– to facility for resolution of inconsistencies

3. EDC in TAZAMA – General Principles
• Key data into data capture application during
interview or measurement
• Use CSPro* application with validity checks
during data entry(census and survey Processing System)
• Upload data to main office servers for storage
and further management
* Data management utilities developed by US census
bureau and other collaborators.

4. Range of our EDC applications
• EDC used in 3 types of data collection:
– DSS: simple household census with GIS (20 questions),
employs 11 field workers in 7 villages, twice yearly
– VA: bereaved households visited by interviewer for
symptom check (500 questions with complex skips)
– Sero Survey: all adults invited to temporary village
clinics for blood tests, structured survey of behaviour
and service use (250 questions with complex skips),
provision of clinical and counselling services – once
every 3 years

5. DSS equipment
PDAs(Personal Digital Assistants )
• PDA (Nomads) retain power for 12hrs and
require 4hrs to be recharged to maximum
• Portable and robust, can stand the hazards of
transport and weather in the field
• PDAs are equipped with GPS facility, can take
photos and read barcodes
• Preloaded with data from previous round with
details of expected household members

6. DSS enumeration using Nomad PDA

7. DSS system
• PDAs are assigned to 11 field workers who are
deployed for DSS activities in 7 different villages
• Data entry system protects against invalid entries
during household update
• Newly collected data are uploaded daily onto the
server at the main office, data for following day’s
fieldwork is downloaded
• Further consistency checks are done as batch
edits in the office and errors returned to the field

8. DSS challenges
• Keeping PDAs charged demands well organized team
• Interview staff need higher skills and must take
responsibility for equipment
• Displays one question at time so inconvenient to
refer to responses from previous questions
• PDA not appropriate for large questionnaire if
additional data need to be collected in a round
• Rigorous file management system needs to be
developed by experienced specialist programmers

9. Verbal Autopsy
• Death report in DSS triggers follow-up home visit
by clinically trained interviewer
• List of household addresses requiring VA visit is
downloaded from server
• Netbook version of standard WHO VA
questionnaire produced using CSPro
• Data (single file per person) uploaded to server
for further management
• Batch edit reports of stored data before running
diagnostic software

10. VA challenges
• Data upload and file management
• Charging of spare battery
• Bugs in file handling resulted in duplicate
records

11. Sero Survey: Activities
• Main office (preparatory):
– pre-printing invitation and consent documents
• Clinic based (daily):
– registration, identification and consent
– specimen collection and physiological measurement
– confidential interviews
– clinical and dispensing services, counselling
• Main office (overnight):
– synchronize data files with drop box and server
– charging all batteries
– management of daily clinic and lab supplies

12. Sero-survey equipment and forms
• Each clinic has 2 netbooks for registration, 7 for
interviewers, and a data manager’s laptop connected
through a temporary wireless LAN
• Other IT equipment: router, generator, chargers, bar
code scanners, spare batteries and solar panels
• Paper forms still needed for
consent, referral, documentation of lab samples
• Barcode ID pre-printed on (main) consent form with
matched labels for attaching to other documents
• Onward use forms (referral, lab control) also have
pre-printed barcodes

13. Overview of net book data collection
system used in HIV sero-survey

14. Sero Survey Data Management
• Netbooks set up to allow for log-on use by all
potential users
• All netbooks transmitted data to all the other
netbooks and to the data manager’s laptop as well as
backing up on a memory card
• Batch data editing program is supposed to run before
participant leaves clinic
• Identification system designed to capture DSS
household ID for those coming without identification
and for those recently moving household

15. HIV Sero-survey data collection interviewer
using net book PC

16. Sero-survey challenges
• Charging of spare batteries over night
• Failure of Solar panels
• Theft of memory cards
• Failure to upload completely to dropbox and
server jeopardizing file management
• Omission of batch edit runs at remote site
• Corrupt transfer of data between netbooks
• Netbook operating system – Window 7 Starter –
requires frequent resetting of passwords

17. Before Starting EDC
• Complete development and testing of all applications and
equipment to ensure they give the desired outcome
• Allow for proper training and piloting
• Test duration of batteries for various equipment and rate
power requirement
• Have SOP on all procedures including 1 for daily feedback
• Ensure close supervision of activities at start
• Prevent system settings being changed by unauthorized users
• Netbooks and laptops must be restricted for hook up to only
authorized networks