Epidata friends,
I just spend almost the whole day trying to fix some typing errors. Nothing
more than usual before starting some analysis. However It came to my
attention that having just one key field maybe a lot misleading.
Lets say that there a key id field called number in qes.
v1 number #########
if the one who is typing types the worng number lets say 231022009 instead
of 221022009 later this error may cause a lot of confusion and lead to other
errors. The point is that this particular sort of error is hard to find and
locate because this is the one field by which we should locate the record
(the link to the CRF).
Looking for the record by other fields is very fustrating unless the record
has some very unusual data, such as age 99. How many records I would have
with age 99?? Most likeli very few.
One field that very often hleps is the patient intials, although it has very
few letters, very unlikeli there is more than 3 or 4 in every thousand
records with the same initials.
Therefore I ask to you guys if there is a way in the chk file to retrieve
from the name the initials of the full name.
v1 number #########
v2 name:
<A >
v3 initials: <A >
The objetictive is:
v2 name: JENS LAURISTEN
v3 initials: JL
v2 name: PEDRO EMMANUEL AMERICANO DO BRASIL
v3 initials PEADB
Telling the typer to type this is an option, but Is it possible stick this
magic in the chk file? I looked in the string functions from Epidata
documentation but didnt find anything that could make a way around!
Best regards?
Abraço forte e que a força esteja com você,
Pedro Emmanuel
Epidata Friends,
Yves gave a good work around on the id fields with leading zeros. I was
suffering from the very same problem and did not stop to think on a work
around. I did try this here with a data of mine and I have a another
sugestion.
It came to my attention that if the fieldnum has a autoserach command and
the typer goes to edit a record already in the dataset then the fieldnum is
deleted by the second chk command below. Perhaps a HELP command is more
nice.
FIELDNUM
BEFORE ENTRY
fieldnum=integer(fieldchar)
goto nextvariable
END
autosearch list fieldnum
END
NEXTVARIABLE
BEFORE ENTRY
IF (fieldnum <> integer(fieldchar)) THEN
HELP "PERHAPS THERE ARE SOME NON INTEGER CHARACTERS. CONSIDER REVISING!"
ENDIF
END
This will call the attention of the typer and will not delete the data in
the field if the record is to be edited.
Best regards.
Abraço forte e que a força esteja com você,
Pedro Emmanuel
Dear Epidata Team,
First we have to thank you very much for the quality of your software.
We intend to use EpiData for a double entry verification.
Unfortunately, we have found a problem when entering numerical fields.
If the keyboarder types 001 in a 3 digit numerical field, Epidata
stores 1 (whitch is quite normal). But during the verification step, if
they enter 001 again ... there is a message to remind them that there is
a difference. Of course, the difference is between the stored value 1 et
the first typed digit 0.
This is a problem for us.
In the framework of Clinical Trials, the operators have to enter exactly
what is written on the CRF.
A solution could be to define the field as a text one. But of course
this allows to enter letters instead of digits, and that is not enough
secure.
We also tried to associate a numerical range (000-999) to the text 3
characters field (in a .CHK file). With this kind of control, typing
a11 is denied, but typing 1a1 is allowed...
Do you have an other solution or idea to solve this problem?
In your forum, you answered to somebody that this problem will be solved
in the next version of EpiData. Have you already an idea of the
availability date of this version?
Thank you very much in advance,
Valérie Conte
--
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Valérie CONTE
Directrice technique adjointe du CREDIM
Chef de projet développement
CREDIM
Centre de Recherche Et Développement en Informatique Médicale
ISPED
Institut de Santé Publique, d'Epidémiologie et de Développement
Casier 11
Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2
146 rue Leo Saignat
33076 Bordeaux Cedex
Tel : 05.57.57.47.60
Fax : 05.57.57.45.41
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Mel : mailto:Valerie.Conte@isped.u-bordeaux2.fr
Web : http://www.isped.u-bordeaux2.fr
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