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Implementing EMA Methods

Implementing EMA Methods. George Haff & Mary Witzig. Implementation Strategy. Hardware/Software options Strategies for Success Equipment Program/Protocol Participant Support Frequently Asked Questions. Options for Electronic Diary Hardware and Software. Handheld Options: Palm

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Implementing EMA Methods

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  1. Implementing EMA Methods George Haff & Mary Witzig

  2. Implementation Strategy • Hardware/Software options • Strategies for Success • Equipment • Program/Protocol • Participant Support • Frequently Asked Questions

  3. Options for Electronic Diary Hardware and Software • Handheld Options: • Palm • Pocket PC (“Windows Mobile” OS) • Others: Symbian, Blackberry, etc.

  4. Options for Electronic Diary Hardware and Software • Software Options • Satellite Forms (intellisync) • Crossfire (appforge) • Palm OS SDK

  5. Options for Electronic Diary Hardware and Software • Our Set-up • Palm Zire 71 • Satellite Forms • SF Extensions • SetKey • SFProgAlarm

  6. Strategies for Success • Equipment • Program/Protocol • Participant Support

  7. Strategies for Success: Equipment • Usability/User-Interface • Ease of use, intuitive • Consider your audience • Pilot test! Pilot test! Pilot test!

  8. Strategies for Success: Protocol/Program • Build compliance into the protocol • Consider adherence when developing the protocol • Design protocol to facilitate collection • Consider participant/research assistant burden

  9. Strategies for Success: Program/Protocol • Create a sense of accountability • Set clear expectations • Give feedback • Validation Report • Program feedback in the field

  10. Program Feature: Windows • Discreet periods of time participants are able to record information. • Useful when collecting data concurrent with time specific events (e.g., ambulatory blood pressure every 45 mins). • Facilitates participant compliance and promotes collection of real-time data.

  11. Windows screen shot?

  12. Strategies for Success: Program/Protocol • Guide subjects through assessments • Eliminate guess work in the field • Program Feature: Branching

  13. Program Feature: Branching Questions • Program flexibility to follow a different line of questioning based on participant response. • Eliminates guess work in the field.

  14. Strategies for Success: Program/Protocol • Drive the protocol • Include prompts • Handheld calendar • Program Feature: Alarms

  15. Program Features: Alarms • Prompts participant with alarms integrated with data collection software. • Automatically displays first data collection screen.

  16. Strategies for Success: Program/Protocol • Include Livability Functions • Allows participant to integrate data collection into life • Program Features: • Delay/suspend • Wake/sleep

  17. Program Features: Delay/Suspend • Used in conjunction with Windows or Alarms (prompting). • Allows participant to postpone or suspend data entry. • Increases compliance and decreases participant burden by allowing flexibility.

  18. Program Feature: Wake/Sleep • Allows participant to suspend the program for the night while collecting wake/sleep times.

  19. Strategies for Success: Participant Support • Subject Training • Our Method: • Training – group presentation • Practice day with ‘Shakedown’ visit • Feedback visit • Practice module (???)

  20. Strategies for Success: Participant Support • Support in the field • Research associates ‘on call’ • Handouts • Program Feature: Problem Reports

  21. Program Feature: Problem reports • Enables participant to record a problem with the equipment. • Give participant useful feedback to trouble shoot problem or instruct to call support staff.

  22. Success Strategy Summary • Plan carefully • Pilot test! Pilot test! Pilot test! • Set clear expectations and provide ample support for participants

  23. Other Program Features

  24. Program Feature: Beginning/End of Day Questions • Separate questionnaire given at one point during the day. • Can be used to compare EMA data to recall data.

  25. Program Feature: Sync/Resync • Enables diary device to be synchronized with other equipment (e.g., ambulatory blood pressure monitor). • ‘Resync’ option useful to troubleshoot protocol while participant is in ‘the field’.

  26. Program Features: Event-driven entry • Used to enter the time of events not controlled by the research protocol (e.g., having a cigarette or a hot flash).

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