Table 3 Quality assurance mechanisms employed in Pakistan National Emergency Department Surveillance
Study Stage | Quality Control Processes |
|---|---|
1. Stakeholder Identification & Involvement Needs Assessment | Inclusion of local administrators/physicians (institution staff) as co-PIs in the study, improving local ownership and interest in proper execution of study. |
2. Design of Tools & Data Collection Plan | Validation of data sources and data collection by site visits and on-site performance assessment. Standardized questionnaire across all centers. |
3. Training & Launch | Thorough training including verbal tests, mock interviews, and on-site performance assessment. Field supervisors present on-site to monitor activities, ensure compliance with study protocols, and rectifying any immediate issues with support of local emergency department nominee, or reporting issues to coordinator at AKU to facilitate resolution. Random checks of forms by field supervisor of ≈5% of daily forms for completeness and accuracy Random checks at AKU for completeness of forms Feedback mechanisms for correction of any systematic errors detected in random checking. Daily reports showing total patient registrations and those covered by surveillance. Weekly report from field including coverage levels, form tracking, and any other pertinent issues affecting performance. Questionnaire tracking through ID numbers to and from centers to ensure there is no loss of data. |
4. Data Entry & Analysis | Data entry checks with skip patterns minimizing impossible values. |