MODYS—A Modular Control and Documentation System for Epidemiological Studies

The quality of data collected in epidemiological observational research critically depends on the appropriate procedures for recruitment of study subjects. In this chapter, we describe the requirements and standard procedures for contacting, recruiting and documenting in field studies. We present a software tool, MODYS (modular control and documentation system), that was specifically designed to control and document all recruitment steps in population-based studies. The general design of MODYS is outlined, and its implementation for the IDEFICS study is presented in detail. Furthermore, the analysis of paradata recorded by MODYS is demonstrated with examples from the IDEFICS study.

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