2240.06.1.1/AW

From Paper to Computer Records: Ensuring Data Quality for the Analysis

Goal
This course will provide you with the ability to conduct studies in applied epidemiology on your own. The set-up is modular, step by step, utilising extensively the power of data processing and analysis with computers, using readily accessible public domain computer software. 		Contents
After having completed this course you:
— will be familiar with the basics of EpiData (public domain software).
— will be capable of designing a simple questionnaire relevant to your research hypothesis.
— will be capable to gather and computerise existing information.
— will be capable to write analysis programmes to provide you with tabulations necessary to interpret existing data.

Target audience
— Basic course for students of the Public Health programme to acquire skills for their thesis project
— Persons who are familiar with basic concepts in epidemiology and who are or will be working in an applied research project that involves questionnaire design or paper-abstracted data
— The course «Methoden der Epidemiologie» (3060) is required

Requirements

 Methods
This 3-day course consists of two main parts. The first part will be devoted to issues of quality, data entry and data updating, and in the second part we will deal with data preparation for analysis, data analysis, and report writing.
To make the process of learning uniform and to serve as a template for your own research, we will provide relevant examples.
We will work intensively with computers and use EpiData (www.epidata.dk) for questionnaire design, data checks, data entry, data validation, and merging of data sets. A main emphasis will be paid to documenting the data set and organising the analyses in a way to be prepared for analysing the same type of data when more data have been accumulated.
The following steps will be achieved:
— Creating a questionnaire and a check file and enter data using EpiData
— Data validation using EpiData
— Appending and merging files
— Introducing EpiData Analysis and first analyses with the help of programs
— The study data set: first analyses and additional analyses in EpiData or EpiData Analysis putting emphasis on programme writing rather than interactive analysis
Organisation

Coordination of course
Prof. Dr. Marcel Zwahlen, Institut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin der Universität Bern
PD Dr. Hans L. Rieder, Tuberculosis Consultant Services IUATLD, Kirchlindach

Lecturers and tutors
PD Dr. Hans L. Rieder and Marcel Zwahlen, PhD

Credits
1 MPH-Credit or 1.5 ECTS-Credits - in field 1
Exam
Essay at home
Dates: July 3-5, 2006
Location: Bern
Fees: Fr. 950.00
(course material included)
Registration deadline: May 3, 2006
Additional information
Language: German and English (written instructions, software and software documentation)
As this is a course in which you will do a lot of work on your own, under intense guided supervision, we must limit the number of participants to a maximum of twelve.
Own laptop running with a Windows operating system and having a CD-ROM drive is required; basic knowledge of Windows Explorer or an alternative installed file management software as well as knowledge of spreadsheet and word processing is required.

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