In addition to the process flow, the questionnaire can utilize 'AskIf' filters to determine if a question should be asked of a subject. In the example above, the question regarding pregnancy will only be asked if the Gender of the Patient is equal to "F".
Questionnaires can either be entered by the provider or, depending on the user's capability, can be entered directly. Some groups have the patients use computers in their clinics or offices for data entry so the support staff can provide assistance if the patient has questions during the data collection process. QuesGen can also email secure links to users so that the patients can enter data directly from their home computers.
To illustrate what the process
flow outlined above might look like, you'll see a simple
form that is intuitive for most Internet-aware
participants. The form design is typically very simple with
all options clearly visible. Also, there is a progress bar
that indicates how far the user has progressed in the data
entry process. In this example, if the user answers Yes to
the question about smoking history, the question about
current smoking is asked. If the user had answered 'No',
all questions regarding smoking would be skipped.
QuesGen provides question structures that allow users to
select a single entry from a list of options, select
multiple responses from a list or type in responses. Text
entry can be checked to ensure that the user is entering
valid data.
Form color, fonts and sizes can be configured to meet your
requirements.
To continue our example, the user enters that he or she no longer smokes, and the question is asked about the year that the user stopped. Had the user answered 'Yes' to the question about current smoking, the question regarding stopping would not have been asked. Once the user enters years smoked and packs per day, the value for pack-years is calculated and stored in the database, transparently to the user. This type of calculation is commonly used for BMI and other factors. Those calculated values may then be used as AskIf conditions for subsequent questions. This data collection process has been used as a method for providing feedback to users. If a user indicates that an undesirable behavior has been reduced since the prior encounter, the survey can provide positive feedback.
In addition to calculating and storing values, the complex processes can be developed that are executed at a certain point in the data collection process. Frequently, once all of the eligibility questions have been asked, the system can check to make sure that the user is eligible, and if so, a randomization process can be executed to assign the subject to a group. The system can handle complex randomization (e.g. Force balancing across a group of sites, and if balanced, then randomly assigned to a group).
The following is an example of a much more complex survey that is targeted to a provider.
