All Ireland Traveller Health Study Our Geels - Department of Health ...

All Ireland Traveller Health Study
Development and Piloting of Computer-assisted Instrument
The UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science established a research unit at
the start of the study and this facilitated the study team’s access to 180 laptop computers for use in the
study. This allowed the team to explore the feasibility of a computer-assisted delivery system for the
conversion of the questionnaire to an oral/visual format, taking cognisance of the literacy level of the
Traveller Peer Researchers.
Process Used in Development of Electronic Instrument
• A computer programmer was commissioned to work on transforming the paper version of the
questionnaire, with all its subsections, into an electronic instrument for use on a laptop computer.
• The terms of reference for the programmer were to implement a large questionnaire with multiple
branching items within each section, and with random branching from one section to another,
which was to be implemented in the field using Traveller Peer Researchers. It was understood that
the Peer Researchers may have limited or no prior computer skills, and would have literacy skills
ranging from good to minimal.
• Due to the complexity of the questionnaire, memorisation of the questions by Peer Researchers was
not an option. It was therefore decided to use a multimedia approach, to utilise both images and
sound to present the questions on laptops to the Peer Researchers.
• Extensive consultation was done with groups of Travellers around the country to choose meaningful
and appropriate pictures, and also to rephrase the questions in appropriate language.
• A piloting exercise was undertaken with non-literate Travellers, and the initial feedback was positive.
• The response time for completing both the census and the quantitative studies was checked to
ensure that it was no more than 45 minutes when using the laptop.
• Other subtle technical changes were made on an ongoing basis to ensure optimum performance of
the laptops and the collection of data.
• Computer protocols and training guidelines were developed for ‘trainers’ training’ with the coordinators.
• UCD study team set up an IT support panel with 2 external expert advisors, to plan and implement
the required IT support before and during the fieldwork, as well as to ensure due consideration of
data security and coding.
The development of an electronic audio-visual questionnaire, with an average family interview time
of 45 minutes, was unique in a community that relies traditionally on memorising questionnaires
to gather information. The instrument capitalised on their oral tradition to maximise the amount of
information that was collected.
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