QDS(TM)-Web Interview Administering System

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract: QDS-Web(tm) Interview Administering System PEW surveys report 73% of American adults (147 million) use the Internet and 20% indicate it greatly improves getting health information, including drug and disease treatment facts. Thus, it is also an increasingly popular, cost-effective survey research environment. Web surveys facilitate health researchers rapidly and efficiently reaching very large numbers of targeted individuals. Web interviews can collect knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to disease prevention, health promotion, and clinical trial and/or health services delivery participation. However, to effectively conduct Internet research requires an easy, intuitive and rapid survey development and deployment tool designed to accommodate complexities of research interviews. Most web- based survey development tools are designed for simple, linear market research and customer satisfaction surveys. Few are designed for the researcher conducting multifaceted research and/or surveillance survey studies and still fewer meet Federal web survey requirements. NOVA's proposed Questionnaire Development System (QDS(tm)) module for Internet administration (QDS-Web(tm)) is such a tool. It uses Windows-based designs to easily generate survey files that meet Federal Web display (Sec. 508) and DHHS/FDA data security/audit trail requirements, an administrator's tool to quickly deploy secure Web-based complex research surveys, and a Web-based database to securely store and manage interviewee responses. Targeted users are researchers conducting behavioral surveys, clinical trials, health services research, and disease surveillance. QDS-Web(tm) supplements NOVA's commercial QDS(tm) Suite, with a growing base of more than 1,500 users worldwide. Phase II involves (1) enhancing code to handle survey control file functionality, including response types, skip patterns, range edits/consistency checks, logic expressions, and randomization algorithms; (2) creating web options allowing user-designed cascading style sheets and Web-based reports; (3) providing Cyrillic, Arabic, and Asian scripting and capability to select character formats (font, style, size); (4) implementing secure data transmission and storage, audit trails, and data transfer to SAS/SPSS using format libraries; (5) providing support for additional databases, middleware languages, and application servers; and (6) developing online documentation. During Phase II, individual and small group evaluations, in-depth qualitative interviews, and standardized usability surveys will be conducted with diverse sets of researchers. Beta testing will evaluate usability and functionality on comprehensiveness of features, ease of survey development/deployment, general usefulness, and overall satisfaction with using the QDS-Web(tm) module. The end product, QDS-Web(tm), as an added module to the QDS(tm) Suite, will be the only U.S.-made survey development integrated product enabling researchers to conduct computer-based surveys in all current modes of data collection from one design specification and securely manage data in one Warehouse Manager. QDS-Web(tm) Interview Administering System Questionnaire Development System Web-based data collection administration module (QDS-Web(tm)) is an added module to NOVA's commercial QDS(tm) Suite that enables public health researchers to conduct knowledge, attitude and behavior data collection for pubic health research and surveillance for general and sensitive health information. While most web-based survey research software is designed for simple, linear market research surveys and only supports web surveying, the QDS(tm) Suite, when including QDS-Web(tm) will permit researchers to easily, quickly, and cost-effectively conduct complex research surveys in all existing modes of survey administration from one integrated set of survey specifications that meet DHHS data transmission and storage security and audit trail requirements for behavioral, health services, and clinical trials research. Web surveying facilitates health researchers reaching large numbers of targeted populations, remote and hidden populations, and otherwise difficult to interview individuals not visiting face-to-face interviewing venues, and individuals not wanting to be personally identified.