health research

1. DESIGNING DATA
COLLECTION TOOLS
BY- DR UTSAV SHINGHAL
JR-3
PHARMACOLOGY

2. REFERENCES
• Bhatnagar T. Designing Data Collection Tools, Lecture 15.
[Accessed on July 19th, 2022]. Available from:
https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc22_md01/unit?unit=1&less
on=16
• Bhatnagar T. Designing Data Collection Tools, Lecture 15
Handouts. [Accessed on July 19th, 2022]. Available from:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bd5UrYTIQsxRkTt_OB3
ESYu24x4X3RBQ/edit

3. • Mehta T. Designing Data Collection Tools. Basic Course in
Biomedical Research Handbook. Independently Published;
2021:248-66.
• Das R, Das PN. Collecting Data and its Management. Biomedical
Research Methodology. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical
Publishers (P) Ltd; 2011:67-88.

4. OUTLINE
• Information collected with data collection tools
• Different data collection tools
• Components of data collection tools
• Types of question items
• Open questions
• Open questions with closed-ended responses
• Closed questions
• With dichotomous options
• With multiple options
• With quantitative answers
• Semi-open questions

5. • Framing questions
• Sorting the order of questions
• Laying out the data collection tool
• Finalizing the data collection tool
• Pilot testing the data collection tool

6. Information collected with data collection tools
The kind of information that we would like to collect in health
research can be divided into 3 areas:
1. FACTS:
• Characteristics of study participants. For example age, height,
weight, income, etc.
• Environment that they live in which includes housing, family
size.
• Behaviours/Practices: For example smoking, alcohol use.

7. 2. LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE FOR:
• Risk factors of various diseases for example unprotected sex
and mosquito breeding.
• Healthy lifestyles. For example diet, exercise.
3. JUDGEMENTS:
• Opinions of research participants on various issues like quality
of health services provided by PHC in their area.
• Participants attitude for certain behaviours like wearing
seatbelts, washing hands before eating.

8. Ques 1: A researcher has framed a question in the research tool as:
“What is the monthly income of the family?” This information
constitutes:
a) Facts
b) Knowledge
c) Judgements
d) Healthy life styles

9. Ques 2: The information about participant’s attitude for behaviours
such as wearing helmet, open defecation, constitute:
a) Facts
b) Knowledge
c) Judgements
d) Texts

10. Different data collection tools
1. Abstraction forms:
• It is basically doing a review of records of the study participants,
which could be their personal records, clinical records or
surveillance records.
2. Structured observation guide:
• It is a preliminary list of items which are needed to be
observed.
• Prepared in advance based on the objectives of study.

11. • For example, the observation of health care centres for provision of TB
services, the observer guide may include the following categories and
items.
a. TB screening
Is TB screening done at the given health centre?
Who is doing the screening?
b. Laboratory tests
Is sputum being collected properly for testing?
Availability of microscopes and number.

12. Availability of technicians and number.
Time taken to give the sputum smear results.
c. ATT
Is there an adequate supply of ATT?
d. Awareness
Are the health care staffs counselling the contacts of TB patients for
screening?

13. 3. Questionnaire:
Interviewer administered: where the data collector himself
administers the questions to the respondents.
• Face-to-face
• Telephone
• Computer-assisted
Self-administered: if the study participants can read and write and
they are knowledgeable enough to understand what the
investigators want.
• Paper-based
• Computer-assisted

14. QUES 3: An investigator wants to study the clinical profile of patients
who presented with foreign body in nose in the emergency of IGMC,
Shimla in the past 2 years. Which is the most suitable way to collect
the data?
a) Review of records
b) Cohort study
c) RCT
d) Focus group discussions

15. QUES 4: Self-administered questionnaire can be:
a) Paper-based or computer assisted
b) Used in face-to-face interviews
c) Used in telephonic interviews
d) All of the above

16. Components of data collection tools

17. 1. Introduction and Conclusion:
• Presenting the study to study participants
• Stating out the objectives
• Obtaining the informed consent from the participants
• Concluding statements at the end
At the beginning

18. 2. Identifiers: which could be
The actual identifiers:
• It includes the information such as the name and address of
the study participant, through which we can identify who
the person is.
• It is always a good idea from an ethical perspective to
collect this data on a separate sheet of paper and keep
apart which can be referred to later on, if need arises.

19. The coded ID numbers:
• In order to maintain confidentiality of study participants, the
investigators use coded ID numbers.
• These ID numbers are composite. They have numbers
denoting the state to which the person belongs, the district,
the village and then the household and then the individual
id. So, coded ID is a mix of all these numbers.
•

20. 3. Instructions for data collectors:
General instructions:
• For example, do not read out all the options to study participants
tick only the one that the study participant
mentions.
Instructions for skip patterns:
• The questionnaires may have skip patterns.
• As there may be some questions, the response to which may
make the subsequent questions not relevant to a given
participant.
• And there an instruction can be provided to data collector that
you may skip all the questions from ques 2-8 if the response to

21. 4. Body of the instrument:
• It includes the question items.
• The questions can be:
Open questions:
• Open questions are the one where the answers are not
suggested to the study participants and they have to generate
their own answer.

22. • Advantages:
It gives total freedom to the respondent to give the answer
that they want.
They are not constrained by the already existing categories of
answers.
It helps to stimulate the memory of the research participants.

23. It is also useful at hypothesis raising stage, wherein we are not
sure what the appropriate answer to the question is.
• So, by using the open questions, the investigator can
generate a lot of responses from the study participants which
can later be used to generate the closed responses.

24. • Disadvantages:
The investigator may have a long list of responses which may
difficult to code and analyse.
At times, the responses may be unfocused or incomplete.

25. Open questions with closed-end answers:
• Here the category of answers are given for the question, but the
data collector does not suggest an answer to the study participant.
• So, when the answers are freely mentioned by the respondent, the
data collector will tick those that are specified from the list of
responses given in the question.
• So, it is expressed as an open question, but finally analyzed as
closed-ended question.

26. Ques 5: Identify the question:
“How do you spend your leisure time________________(Write any 2
a) Open-ended
b) Closed-ended
c) Open question with closed answers
d) None

27. Ques 6: Which of the following is correct in relation to an open
question?
a) Answers are suggested
b) Stimulate the memory
c) Easy to code and analysis
d) Freedom to respond is compromised

28. Ques 7: “What are the practices you think may increase the risk of a heart attack?
(Do Not propose any option of answer)
1-Lack of exercise 2-Stress 3-Smoking 4-Alcoholism 5-Eating too much salt 6-Poor
diet”
Which of the following best describes the type of question?
a) Open question
b) Open question with closed answers
c) Closed question with multiple options
d) Closed question with quantitative answers

29. Ques 8: Which of the following options are true about ‘Open
question with closed answers’?
a) Answers are not suggested to study participants
b) Expressed as an open-ended question
c) Analysed as closed ended-question
d) Can be administered in self-administered questionnaire

30. Closed questions:
• Closed questions are the ones, where the question is provided with a set
category of answers which are acceptable to the investigator.
• The closed questions are of two types:
Closed questions with only two options, i.e., dichotomous options such as
yes-no, male-females, etc.

31. Advantages:
• They force a clear position for the respondent to take.
Disadvantages:
• Sometimes it may actually over simplify some of the issues, where a
yes-no answer is not something that is going to give investigator a very
good information.

32. Closed questions with multiple options:
• We could have questions where although multiple options of
answers available but only one of the option is acceptable. So,
depending on what the respondent says, only one of this option is
ticked by the data collector.
• Also, we could have closed ended questions with multiple options,
wherein even multiple responses by the study participants may be
acceptable.
•

33. • When we, as an investigator, are designing the questionnaire, we
need to put a clear instruction for the data collector, whether only
one answer is acceptable for this question or more than one
answer may be acceptable.
Disadvantages:
• Sometimes it may become inconvenient and difficult to choose
only one option, if there is a possibility of more than one option,
but that choice is not provided in the questionnaire.

34. Closed questions with quantitative answers:
• Here the respondent must provide a quantitative answer.
• It allows the creation of continuous variables as responses.

35. Ques 9: A question was framed by an ophthalmologist as part of data
collection tool for his research: “ Which of the following symptoms you had
in last one week?”. The options were 1- Eye pain 2- Redness of eye 3-
Blurred vision 4- Watering of eyes. Given that the participant may have
multiple complaints, which of the following best describes the type of
question?
a) Open question
b) Closed question with dichotomous options
c) Closed question with multiple options
d) Closed question with quantitative answers

36. Ques 10: “Have you ever consumed tobacco products? (1)-Yes (2)-
No.” Which of the following best describes the type of question?
a) Open question
b) Closed question with dichotomous options
c) Closed question with multiple options
d) Closed question with quantitative answers

37. Ques 11: What is the disadvantage of closed questions with
dichotomous options in a study questionnaire?
a. Detailed information available
b. Oversimplifies the issues
c. Forces an unclear position
d. None

38. Ques 12: Glasgow coma scale is a scoring system to understand the
conscious level of a person. The score varies from 3-15. A researcher
has included a question in his research tool- “What is the GCS score
during admission?” Which of the following best describes the type of
question?
a) Open question
b) Closed question with dichotomous options
c) Closed question with multiple options
d) Closed question with quantitative answers

39. Semi-open questions:
• The answers are suggested in semi-open questions, but there is
one option which is kept open in the form of “Others”.
• It leaves the door opened for unplanned answers.
• However, if there are too many of these unplanned responses, it
may become difficult to analyze.
•

40. Ques 13: “Did your child have complication following measles? 1-
None 2-Pnemonia 3-Diarrhoea 4-Ocular complications 5-Others,
specify______________”. Which of the following best describes the
type of question?
a) Open question
b) Open question with closed answers
c) Semi-open question
d) Closed question with multiple options

41. Ques 14: Which of the following is not a component of data
collection tool?
a) Informed consent
b) Concluding statements
c) Identifiers
d) Tabulated results

42. Ques 15: Which component of data collection instrument is
constituted by open, closed and semi-open items?
a. Introduction
b. Identifiers
c. Instructions
d. Body of data collection instrument.

43. Framing questions
Write short and precise questions
• Use full and complete phrases
For example, if we want to know the age of study participant,
just writing age is not sufficient.
We should always use full and complete phrases, like, what is
your age?
• Avoid ambiguities

44. Use simple words of everyday language
Avoid negatives
• Do you sometimes have your food without washing your
hands?
• Do you wash your hands before having food?
Ask only one question at a time
• Did you refuse treatment because you feared side-effects?
• Did you refuse treatment?
• If yes, was it because you feared side-effects?

45. Be specific
• Are you aware of the modes of HIV transmission?
• Among these practices can you tell me those that could expose
you to HIV?
• Unprotected sex
• IV drug abuse
• Blood transfusion
• Needle pricks

46. Avoid judgemental tone as it may influence the response of study
participants. Use neutral tone
• Have you been promiscuous in the last 6 months?
• How many sexual partners have you had in the past 6 months?

47. Ques 16: Which rule is not followed while framing the question “
When and where did you get tested for COVID-19?”
a) Using a neutral tone
b) Avoid using negatives
c) Asking single question at a time
d) Using simple words of everyday language.

48. Sorting the order of questions
From simple to complicated
From general to specific
• Ask more general questions, like socio demographic
characteristics, and then go on to the specific questions of what
your study is all about.
From casual to intimate
• Ask more of casual/factual questions in the beginning, which
will be easy for the respondent to answer and then are the
questions on intimate or sensitive issues.

49. Group together the questions related to same topic. Instead of
having them spread across different parts of the questionnaire,
which may confuse the respondent.
Identification questions can be asked at the beginning or at the
end.
If the information is collected about a sequence of events, then
questions should be in proper chronological order of how things
would have happened in real time, which helps the respondents to
recall the events in a better way.

50. If the questionnaire is complex, introduce the simple questions as
a break.
Triangulate through multiple questions on same topic if the
subject matter is important.
• If the subject matter is really important for the study and if we
really want to know what the respondent is telling is correct.
• We may ask the same kind of question in different ways at
multiple places in the same questionnaire.
• At the time of analysis, we can triangulate these responses to
get the information that we would like to extract from these
questions.

51. Ques 17: Order of question should be all except:
a) From general to specific
b) From simple to complicated
c) From intimate to casual
d) In chronological order

52. Laying out the data collection tool
• It is better to split the questionnaire into sections.
• Do not try to cramp the questions all together, have spaces in
between the questions.
• Do not split the question across pages.
• Use large fonts.

53. • Align the questions on left hand size and responses on the right
hand side which will provide a neat two column look to
questionnaire.
• Number all the questions.
• Have a coding system inbuilt in the questionnaire itself.

54. Finalizing the data collection tool
Checking the instrument against the objectives.
• Make sure that the questions that you have in your questionnaire are
relevant to the study objectives.
• Remove unnecessary questions
• Add missing questions

55. Before using the data collection instrument in the study, get it
reviewed by
• Colleagues
• Experts
• Statisticians: to have a look at the coding
• Field workers/data collectors: tell you whether the flow is
appropriate, whether the questions make sense, is there any
ambiguity or is there something that is not understood.
• Data entry operator

56. Language of the instrument:
• The questionnaires should be in the language in which we are
going to interview the study participants.
• Generally, as investigators, English is the common language, so
the initial formulation of the questionnaire would be in English.
• Then we need to translate it into the local language, say Hindi.

57. • And then we need to have someone else to do a back
translation into English.
This helps us to make sure that the translated version in the
local language makes the same sense as we framed those
questions in English.

58. Ques 18: State whether true or false. Before using data collection
tool in the study, it is useful to get it reviewed by the statistician.
TRUE

59. Pilot testing the data collection tool
• Pilot testing should be done on the persons who are similar to the
study population.
• They must not be included in the study.
• Pilot testing is done to
Check that the questions in the instrument are clear,
understandable and acceptable to the study participants.

60. Check the flow of questionnaire and the skip patterns.
Check the pertinence of coding.
Estimate the time needed to answer all the questions which
gives us an estimated duration of interview.

61. Ques 19: What is false about pilot testing of a study questionnaire?
a) It checks the tool for clarity and acceptability.
b) It is conducted among persons who will be included in the study
later.
c) It provides an estimated duration of interview
d) Changes can be made to the questionnaire based on the
of pilot study.