Data Management

Norio Yamada, RIT

• Chapter 15 of the Lime Book describe how
to do data management.
• In this presentation, some issue will be
emphasized/addressed based on experience.
Data management is not work only by data
managers
 Data management; key messages I
• Data management plan to cover all aspects

• Data manager 
– 100% full‐time post
– early involvement in planning
– consider data entry aspects of forms 
– build quality checks into the whole process (immediate data 
completion of forms in the field and data quality checking at 
data entry, single Vs. double)
– questionnaires, procedures, database

• Real‐time data entry; avoid backlog
– 1.5 million entry points
 Data management; key messages II
• Software to develop database 
– use local expertise 
– checklist with desired characteristics (relational) 
– Excel is not a database!

• "new" technologies 
– Barcodes
– PDAs
 Data management; key messages III
• Confidentiality 
• Personal Identifying Numbers (PINs) to link all forms
• Pilot testing 
– questionnaires 
– data flow 
– database

• Archiving
– paper questionnaires (storage space)
– database
 Prevalence Survey data
• 1.5 mil data points: large dataset
• But not only large but also complex
– Typically at least four sources of data
• Census/Questionnaire/CXR/Lab
– Typically at least 40000 subjects
– Data from different sources need to be linked
accurately for analysis
Prevalence Survey data
Census

Questionnaire

Link Analysis
Film Form/Register

Sputum

Different sources of information

 PINs
• PIN needs to identify a person and link different
sources of data such as
– Household register (census register)
– Individual questionnaires
– CXR forms/register
– Lab forms/register
• Typical PINs consist of “cluster No.” – “household
No.” – “individual No”
– Unique as combination and can be used in each cluster
independently
– Reflect structure of survey population
• Cluster -> household -> individuals
• PINs need to be included in all data tables
 Double Entry
• Ideally all variables are double entered but
it might cause big burden.
– Alternative methods need to be consider (e.g.
only key variables with PINs ) if full double
entry of all variables is not feasible.
 Steps of data management
Data management is not only at central data unit.
Data manager should be involved in early stage
of preparation. Data management is works only
by data manager.
• Development of forms/registers
• Development of database
• Data collection and recording in the field and
laboratory
• Flow of data: Receiving and storing data forms
• Data entry and cleaning
• Export of data to statistical analysis package
 Data management should start
with developing forms
• Decide PINs system
• Adopt recording methods which are suitable for
data entry and analysis
• Selection rather than writing/typing characters in
the paper forms and the database
– n, neg, negative, --> recoding is required
– Selection of 0: Negative/1: 1+/ 2: 2+/, ……….
• Decide code for unknown: use number outside
possible range
– E.g. unknown age -> 999 (not 99)
 Field level data management
• Quality of data primarily is determined by
field works.
• Data can not be recovered fully if wrongly
recorded or missing at field.
Data check before participants leave
Data flow
 Before data entry
• Management of forms:
– Check and record what was received from the
field
– Sorting documents and given document serial
number to locate original forms (entry data
according to serial number order: good for
correcting PINs by double entry)
– Proper filing data for entry and storing
 Consistency between laboratory
and Screening criteria
• Laboratory examination is more complicated
than other component of screening (symptom,
CXR). Errors of information might be more
likely to happen.
• Consistency of between laboratory information
and CXR (and symptom) should be checked
regardless of double or single entry.
– This may contribute to detecting wrong transfer of
the results from original information at laboratory to
information sent to data management unit.
 Review of Individuals with
positive results
• Central panel will review all individuals with
bacteriologically-positive results.
• It is recommended to selection of them
manually directly from original laboratory
register as well as information at data unit.
• Comparison might contribute to preventing
missing positive cases.
 A contentious issue:
Recoding Personal identifiers
• It is not necessary in electric database for
analysis.
• Recording name in forms?
– Not good from confidentiality viewpoints
– May prevent mismatching due to wrong PINs
recorded in forms
 Further issues: New tech
Data entry in the field and barcode
• Benefits and downsides need to be considered.
• Recording in paper forms -> Initial data entry
every evening in the field
(Proposed in Tanzania survey): workload?
• Directly recorded in PDAs without using paper
forms (used in ZAMSTAR study): how is
expected rates of errors? (quality is between single
entry and double?)
• Barcode: how to incorporate and print structure of
PINs