Android and ODK based data collection framework to aid in epidemiological analysis

Abstract

Periodic collection of field data, analysis and interpretation of data are key to a good healthcare service. This data is used by the subsequent decision makers to recognize preventive measures, provide timely support to the affected and to help measure the effects of their interventions. While the resources required for good disease surveillance and proactive healthcare are available more readily in developed countries, the lack of these in developing countries may compromise the quality of service provided. This combined with the critical nature of some diseases makes this an essential issue to be addressed. Taking advantage of the rapid growth of cell phone usage and related infrastructure in developed as well as developing countries, several systems have been established to address the gaps in data collection. Android, being an open sourced platform, has gained considerable popularity in this aspect. Open data kit is one such tool developed to aid in data collection. The aim of this paper is to present a prototype framework built using few such existing tools and technologies to address data collection for seasonal influenza, commonly referred to as the flu.

Open Data Kit: Mobile Data Collection Framework For Developing Countries

“…-To propose new tools compatible with the ODK suite or with the ODK-X suite [20], [21], [22], [23], [24]; -To make improvements to a single component of the ODK suite or the ODK-X suite, without having to touch all the others [25], [26]; -To use one or some of the components of the ODK or ODK-X suite without having to use the whole suite. The tools of the two suites can even be used with other technologies that do not belong to ODK [31], [32], [34], [38], [40], [41]; -To extend a component of the ODK or ODK-X suite by adding new functionalities and then to use this extension with the other components of the suite [27], [28], [29].…”

“…3 [30], [31], [32], [33], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39], [15], [40], [41], [42], [43] Use case of ODK. 15…”

Informing decisions in agent-based models — A mobile update

“…This includes tasks posed over Amazon's Mechanical Turk, as an example (Buhrmester et al, 2011;Kittur et al, 2008), as well as reaching more far-flung rural populations directly via smartphones equipped with Android ODK (Brunette et al, 2013). While many of the latter applications have focused on collecting clinical data (Raja et al, 2014;Rajput et al, 2012), applications are in development that gather a broader range of socio-economic and experimental data (e.g., Enenkel et al, 2015).…”

“…Some researchers (e.g., Enenkel et al, 2015;Raja et al, 2014) have invested in custom user interfaces to launch individual survey tasks within ODK. Custom interfaces allow for visual cues, notifications, scheduling of tasks, among other capabilities of Android-enabled devices.…”

An mHealth Platform for Supporting Clinical Data Integration into Augmentative and Alternative Communication Service Delivery: User-Centered Design and Usability Evaluation (Preprint)

“…Growing evidence has demonstrated that mobile health (mHealth) platforms make it possible for healthcare professionals to monitor patient conditions constantly and remotely on the one hand, and on the other hand these mHealth platforms can empower patients to manage their own diseases [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. In other words, mobile technologies may optimize healthcare practices by enabling professionals to conveniently collect and utilize large amounts of patient data in their clinical practice [13,14]. In this model, convenient data collection, integration, and reporting is of critical importance.…”