This document provides guidance for area supervisors and data collectors on procedures for collecting medicine price and availability data. It outlines key activities for area supervisors including scheduling data collection visits, preparing data collection forms, and arranging communications. It also describes how data collectors should introduce themselves at outlets, collect data using standardized forms, and submit forms to supervisors. Supervisors are instructed to review forms for completeness and accuracy before storage and transfer to the survey manager.

1. Data collection procedures
Presentation template for adaptation and use in medicine prices and
availability survey training workshop for survey personnel
Review all slides carefully for applicability to your survey before use!
Medicine prices and availability survey
Training workshop
Location, dates

2. Preparing for data collection
Key activities for area supervisors:
1. Schedule data collection visits
2. Prepare Medicine Price Data Collection
forms needed for field visits
3. Prepare information materials and tools
for data collectors
4. Arrange for regular communications

3. 1. Planning data collection visits
Who? Area supervisors
• Contact (ideally in person, or by phone) each sample
outlet and back-up facility to seek permission for data
collection
– Introduce the survey and its objectives
– Use the letters of endorsement and introduction provided by
the survey manager
– Stress that individual medicine outlets will not be identified in
the results
• If medicine outlet refuses to participate, alert survey
manager who will contact the outlet directly, and if
necessary, provide you with a alternative outlet
– Luckily, this rarely happens

4. Planning data collection visits (continued)
Who? Area supervisors
• Make appointments for data collection visits, avoiding peak
hours of activity
• Plan for 1-2 hours for each data collection visit, plus travel time
• Prepare a schedule for each pair of data collectors, including:
– Date and time of each visit
– Name, number, sector, and contact person for each medicine outlet
– Address and location of each medicine outlet
– Contact information for back-up facility to be visited if < 50% of
medicines are available
• Call each facility and confirm appointment the day before

5. Date and
time of
appoint
ment
Name of
medicine
outlet
Contact
person
Location Sector Number Back-up outlet
name and
contact details
March
23rd,
13h00
ABC
Pharmacy
Mrs.
Nguyen
45 Main
Street
private 01 Main St.
Chemist
59 Main
Street
Eastern
City
Mr. Shah
Survey Area: Eastern Region
Sample schedule for data collection team

6. 2. Preparing Medicine Price Data Collection forms
Who? Area supervisors
• Medicine list and data collection form will be
finalized by survey manager after pilot test
• Make enough copies of the data collection
form for each sample facility, back-up facility,
and validation visit
• Data collection forms should preferably be
colour-coded by sector
• Complete front page of each form

7. To be
completed
by area
supervisors
before data
collection
visit

8. 3. Prepare materials for data collectors
Who? Area supervisor
1. A list of data collection teams and contact information
2. The contact details of their area supervisor, including a mobile phone
number to call in case of difficulty in the field
3. A schedule of visits to survey sites
4. The contact details of the sites to be visited
5. Details of back-up facilities to be visited if scheduled visits are not
possible, or less than 50% of the medicines are available
6. Copies of letter(s) of endorsement and letter of introduction
7. Relevant handouts or instruction sheets
8. A Medicine Price Data Collection form for each sample medicine outlet to
be visited that day
9. A Medicine Price Data Collection form for each back-up site that may
need to be visited that day
10. A calculator for calculating the unit price of medicines
11. Pens (pencils should not be used to record data), a clipboard and other
supplies
12. A notebook to record any significant events or findings
13. Field allowance for local expenses

9. 4. Arrange for regular communications
Who? Area supervisors
• Provide data collectors with a mobile phone and
phone number where they can contact you
during data collection
• Arrange to meet with data collectors at the end
of each day of data collection

10. Data Collection
Who? Data collectors
Before going out to collect data each day:
• Check that you have all necessary materials for data collection
On arrival at the medicine outlet:
• introduce yourself and present the letter(s) of endorsement and
the letter of introduction.
• Check that information about the medicine outlet on Page 1 of
the data collection form is correct
• Enter the following information on Page 1 of the data collection
form:
– Date
– Name(s) of the person(s) who provided information
– Names of data collectors

11. To be
completed
by data
collectors
during data
collection
visit

12. Data Collection (continued)
Who? Data collectors
• Collect data with the aid of the person in charge at the facility
• Fill in the Medicine Price Data Collection Form (1 per outlet)
• If customers arrive, pause the survey and let them be served
Never leave the local data collection form at a
medicine outlet to be filled in later!
Before leaving the facility:
• Check that data collection form is legible, accurate and complete
• Check whether less than 50% of medicines were available at the outlet. If
so, contact the area supervisor who will instruct you on visiting a back-up
facility
At the end of each day of data collection:
• Meet with your area supervisor
• Submit completed data collection forms and report back on your activities

13. At the end of each day of data collection
Who? Area supervisors
• Meet with data collectors to collect completed forms and resolve any
problems encountered
• Review each data collection form completed that day:
– to make sure they are complete and legible
– to verify missing or suspicous information
– to make sure that a back-up facility has been visited if fewer than 50% of
medicines were available in a sample outlet
• Uncertain or illegible data should be checked with data collectors, may
need to re-contact medicine outlet to clarify
• Sign the first page of each form to record that it has been checked, but
only once you are sure that data is complete, legible and there are no
obvious mistakes

14. Validation of data collection
Who? Area supervisors
• Validate data by re-conducting the survey in 20% of public and
private sector outlets. If there are 5 public outlets and 5 private
outlets per survey area, conduct validation in:
– one public medicine outlet per survey area
– one private medicine outlet per survey area
• Select medicine outlets for validation at random
• Conduct the validation visits on the same day as the visits to
these outlets by data collectors
• After collecting data, compare your results to those of data
collectors. Resolve any mistakes and discuss with data
collectors

15. Calculation of unit prices
Who? Data collectors and area supervisors
• Unit price is the price per cap, tab, ml, dose, gram, etc.
oral: price per capsule or tablet, NOT per box or strip
inhalers: price per dose, NOT per inhaler
liquids: price per ml, NOT per bottle
• Unit price = price of pack / pack size
• During data collection, data collectors may need to calculate
unit prices of some medicines to identify the lowest priced
generic
• Area supervisors calculate unit prices for all medicines after
data collection
• Any unit prices calculated by data collectors should be
double checked by the area supervisor

16. • For each product, divide the Price of Pack Found (Column H) by the Pack Size
Found (Column G).
• Retain at least four digits after the decimal point.
• Enter the calculated unit prices in Column I and double-check the calculations.
E.G: Unit price for lowest price generic amitriptyline = 3.80 /110 = 0.0345
Amitriptyline Cosmos
No
Yes 110 0.0345
Out of stock
3.80

17. Storing completed data collection forms
Who? Area supervisors
• Completed forms should be copied and stored in
waterproof plastic bags in the field
• Originals should be stored in a separate location
from copies
• All original data collection forms, including those for
validation visits (label clearly!), should be
transferred to the survey manager upon completion
of fieldwork
• Area supervisors should retain the copies for use in
the event that the originals become lost or damaged