TY  - JOUR
AU  - Patel, Shrujna
AU  - Boulton, Kelsie Ann
AU  - Redoblado-Hodge, Marie Antoinette
AU  - Papanicolaou, Angela
AU  - Barnett, Diana
AU  - Bennett, Beverley
AU  - Drevensek, Suzi
AU  - Cramsie, Jane
AU  - Ganesalingam, Kalaichelvi
AU  - Ong, Natalie
AU  - Rozsa, Magdalen
AU  - Sutherland, Rebecca
AU  - Williamsz, Marcia
AU  - Pokorski, Izabella
AU  - Song, Yun Ju Christine
AU  - Silove, Natalie
AU  - Guastella, Adam John
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/1/19
TI  - The Acceptability and Efficacy of Electronic Data Collection in a Hospital Neurodevelopmental Clinic: Pilot Questionnaire Study
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e18214
VL  - 5
IS  - 1
KW  - electronic data collection
KW  - family-centered care
KW  - hospital-based data collection
AB  - Background: There is a growing need for cost-efficient and patient-centered approaches to support families in hospital- and community-based neurodevelopmental services. For such purposes, electronic data collection (EDC) may hold advantages over paper-based data collection. Such EDC approaches enable automated data collection for scoring and interpretation, saving time for clinicians and services and promoting more efficient service delivery. Objective: This pilot study evaluated the efficacy of EDC for the Child Development Unit, a hospital-based diagnostic assessment clinic in the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network. Caregiver response rates and preference for EDC or paper-based methods were evaluated as well as the moderating role of demographic characteristics such as age, level of education, and ethnic background. Methods: Families were sent either a paper-based questionnaire via post or an electronic mail link for completion before attending their first on-site clinic appointment for assessment. A total of 62 families were provided a paper version of the questionnaire, while 184 families were provided the online version of the same questionnaire. Results: Completion rates of the questionnaire before the first appointment were significantly higher for EDC (164/184, 89.1%) in comparison to paper-based methods (24/62, 39%; P<.001). Within the EDC group, a vast majority of respondents indicated a preference for completing the questionnaire online (151/173, 87.3%), compared to paper completion (22/173, 12.7%; P<.001). Of the caregiver demographic characteristics, only the respondent’s level of education was associated with modality preference, such that those with a higher level of education reported a greater preference for EDC (P=.04). Conclusions: These results show that EDC is feasible in hospital-based clinics and has the potential to offer substantial benefits in terms of centralized data collation, time and cost savings, efficiency of service, and resource allocation. The results of this study therefore support the continued use of electronic methods to improve family-centered care in clinical practices. 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - http://formative.jmir.org/2021/1/e18214/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/18214
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33464217
DO  - 10.2196/18214
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/18214
ER  -