How to format "tables" AND how to follow patients longitudinally?

Question

Hello!

Our department at the Medical University von Vienna is planning to conduct a study, an online questionnaire, using Sosci-Survey. I have already started exploring the program and I am very impressed Our survey is very extensive and detailed, and some questions have arisen.

I would need your help with 2 issues:

1. We would like to create complex tables with at least 4 or 5 columns, where data can be entered using numbers corresponding to certain events, e.g. 1=before infection, 2=during infection, 3=after infection etc. I have already managed to create a “table” using the PHP function of ‘combine’, but I am having trouble formatting the “title” of each column.

2. We would also like to follow some patients (those who consent to it separately) longitudinally over several years (perhaps every 6 months for 3 years). Keeping anonymity in mind – do you have any ideas how this could be made possible. (Including sending reminder e-mails and linking the short follow up questionnaires to the initial questionnaire, while keeping the data pseudonym and “untraceable”).

I would very much appreciate it, if we could speak on the phone. Perhaps you can contact me first per email?

All the best

Answer 1

Thanks for the flowers :)

I am having trouble formatting the “title” of each column.

Please set a "Text on top of the items" in the respective question, which you can set in the "Header" tab.

do you have any ideas how this could be made possible

It depends on how much anonymity you want to provide. If thinking a bit about this concepts, its a continuum between "obviously a specific person" and "would cost billions of Euros to find out who it was" (there can be no 100% security in real life).

An option that would be far on the anonymitiy side is: Give the people a random code in the first place, and ask them for the code in subsequent surveys. The obvious risk is that people may lose their code. To avoid that, psychologists sometimes prefer a "personal code", see Request of a Personal Code. Given an appropriate sample, this is still far enough on the secure side to be considered "anonymous", usually.

I would very much appreciate it, if we could speak on the phone.

Yes, I hear that quite often. And I really like talking to people. The point is, that a 24-hour day just does not have enough time for such luxury. And then, there are some more jobs to do (software development, caressing servers, ...) beyond support. If you like to talk on a professional level to another researcher, better contact my alter ego who's working at the LMU during business hours. He may be available for a talk :)

Comments

Thank you very much for your quick response. I will look into the link you sent me about personal codes.

As for the title of columns, I had managed to name the columns, but the name of each column is quite long and I would need to change the color (for example red) of some of the text and alignment of the text, so that it highlights the input data necessary to answer the question.

Example: For 60 different symptoms the patient has to enter a number between 0 and 2 into a box. The "name" of the column would be: 0=no changes; 1=worse during; 2=worse after infection. We would like to write the numbers and what they symbolise in red. Another column would be called: Still present? 0=no; 1=yes; 2=I don't know. We plan on having 4 columns, each a different question, however, the input instruction varies in each column and is definitely longer than 2-3 words. Do you think this is possible to format in this manner in SoSci survey (with php or java programming?). If yes, I might need to find a computer science student who could help us out. If not, we will have to rephrase and rethink this part of the questionnaire...

Thanx for all your help!

---

>  I would need to change the color (for example red) of some of the text and alignment of the text

Just use a litte HTML, e.g.,

Let's <span style="color: red">do</span> research

The titles should already be centered. If not, please send a preset URL directly (!) to the page with the combined question. You can use HTML to adjust the alignment, of course:

<div style="text-align: left">here we go</div>

> For 60 different symptoms the patient has to enter a number between 0 and 2 into a box.

Have you considered using a two-step question. For example check (or scale) the symptoms in a first question, and show the more complex, combined question only for symptoms that are relevant.

>  The "name" of the column would be: 0=no changes; 1=worse during; 2=worse after infection.

Asking the respondents to do your coding is not very smart. Radio buttons (a scale) or dropdowns (also available through a scale) might be a better solution.

> We plan on having 4 columns, each a different question

Please do not underestimate the cognitive load that such a format requires from respondents. You will systemtically exclude some populations.

> Do you think this is possible to format in this manner in SoSci survey (with php or java programming?)

Only HTML. But I would strongly recommend to use a more user-friendly option. It will increase return rate and decrease the error rate.

---

Thanx again for all your advice! Appreciate it very much!

The idea actually is that the first column asks whether the person has experienced a certain symptom and only if the answer is yes, then they must answer the follow up questions in the columns next to it. If the answer is no, then they simply jump to the next symptom...

But I will try to maybe make some changes. I just had an epiphany and will try to make adaptations to the table. I will keep in touch if I it doesn't work! Thank you again for all your tips and  help!

---

> only if the answer is yes, then they must answer the follow up questions

Give this manual a try: https://www.soscisurvey.de/help/doku.php/en:create:filter-items if you consider splitting the "yes/no" question and the subsequent columns.