ramOPrec: Rapid Assessment for Older People EpiData survey instruments

The Rapid Assessment Method for Older People (RAM-OP) is a rapid assessment method for measuring the nutritional status and needs, and other related factors that affect older people in humanitarian situations. It includes a questionnaire, a sampling method, and software for data analysis. It allows humanitarian workers to gather evidence on the nutritional vulnerability of older people in emergencies and plan the response accordingly.

Developed by HelpAge International in collaboration with Valid International and Brixton Health, and with funding from Humanitarian Innovation Fund, the method is quick because it requires a sample size of just 192 and the process can be achieved in just two weeks, including training and data collection, entry and analysis.

This repository contains the development of the RAM-OP survey instrument in EpiData Entry system for use with entering information provided by survey participants recorded on paper-based questionnaires/forms into a computer/digital format.

The forms

Paper-based questionnaires

The RAM-OP questionnaire can be downloaded from here in OpenDocument Text (ODT) format and in Portable Document Format (PDF).

The EpiData Entry system

The EpiData Entry software runs on the Windows operating system. It does not need to be installed and can be run from a USB drive.

The data entry system provides facilities for entering data, interactive checking of data as it is entered, batch checking of entered data, data summary, and data export. The system creates files that can be read by the standard RAM-OP data analysis software.

The EpiData Entry system developed for RAM-OP is found in the directory called enterRAMOP.

The enterRAMOP directory has the following contents:

enterRAMOP
  |-- EpiData.exe
  |-- EpiData.GID
  |-- EPIDATA.HLP
  |-- epidata.ini
  |-- ramOP-EN.chk
  |-- ramOP-EN.qes
  |-- ramOP-EN.rec
  |-- readme.rtf

• EpiData.*, EPIDATA.HLP, and epidata.ini files - files for the EpiData Entry software itself;

• ramOP-EN.chk - this file defines data validation rules, legal values, and range checks for a corresponding EpiData .qes file;

• ramOP-EN.qes - this file is the primary questionnaire definition file to define the structure, variables, and layout of a survey or data entry form. It acts as a text-based blueprint that defines variable names, types (e.g., numeric, string, date), and field lengths, facilitating the creation of corresponding data storage (.rec) and validation (.chk) files;

• ramOP-EN.rec - this file is the primary data file. It stores the actual data records entered based on a defined structure (.qes file); and,

• readme.rtf - this file provides information about the EpiData Entry software.

Usage

Get a copy of the RAM-OP EpiData Entry system

You can do this by either creating a fork of this repository and then cloning it with:

git clone https://github.com/<YOUR-GITHUB-USERNAME>/ramOPrec

or by downloading it from the latest release.

You can keep your copy of the RAM-OP EpiData Entry system in a directory within your computer within which you would like to perform the data entry and store the data.

You can also transfer the downloaded RAM-OP EpiData Entry system into a USB flash drive from which you can run the system directly.

Run the RAM-OP EpiData Entry system

The downloaded RAM-OP EpiData Entry system does not need any installation. It can be run straight from its directory location in your computer or from the USB flash drive you stored it in.

Go to the RAM-OP EpiData entry system directory then find and double-click the EpiData.exe file within. This will open the RAM-OP EpiData Entry system.

Open the ramOP-EN.rec file

3. Click on Enter Data button

4. Select ramOP-EN.rec file

5. Click on Open

Enter data to ramOP-EN.rec file

EpiData Entry displays the entry form for rampOP-EN.rec ready to receive data.

You can only enter the type of data shown on the status bar at the bottom of the EpiData window (6). This may be different for each variable and depends on the variable types you specified in the questionnaire (.qes) file. If you enter data of the wrong type into a variable then EpiData Entry will warn you. Re-enter the correct data.

You may need to press ENTER to move onto the next variable if the data you enter does not completely fill a particular variable (7).

The up and down keys allow you to move between variables (8). The CTRL + HOME keys will move the cursor to the first variable (9). The CTRL + END keys will move the cursor to the last variable (10).

5. Save record to disk

After you have entered all data for one case (record) the message Save record to disk? will be displayed. Press Yes button (11) or press ENTER.

A new blank data form will be displayed. Enter data for all of the sample cases, writing each to disk. When you have finished, close the data entry form.

License

This project is released under a GPL-3.0 license.

Citation

If you use the RAM-OP EpiData Entry system in your work, please cite using the metadata found in CITATION.cff.

Community guidelines

Feedback, comments, and content requests are welcome; file issues or seek support here. If you would like to contribute to the development of this book, please see our contributing guidelines.

This project is released with a Contributor Code of Conduct. By participating in this project you agree to abide by its terms.