Data Collection

Instrument development

• All data collection instruments used are bi-lingual (with English and regionally appropriate language). For quality assurance of translated instruments, independent translators are asked to back-translate the instrument into English and any deviance corrected immediately.
  
• All instruments are pre-tested to ensure suitability and accuracy of the sequence of questions, skip patterns and instructions, as well as to ensure respondent’s comfort and ability to respond to the instruments. Pre-testing for reliability and validity of survey questions are carried out where required.
  
• All instruments are also cognitive-tested to ensure the questions are relevant and comprehensible to respondents, and ask what they intend to ask. Cognitive-testing is conducted by PRISM professionals who are trained in this technique.

Investigator training

• For every research study, investigators experienced in conducting similar projects are selected and intensively trained. Training is carried out by a team of senior research and field personnel from PRISM, using presentations, handouts, demonstration interviews, mock interviews, and field practice sessions.
  
• More than the required number of investigators are recruited and trained so that only those investigators who are fully capable of carrying out the study are selected.

Quality assurance

PRISM follows a three-tier system of quality assurance for all surveys:

• 35% of all questionnaires are spot-checked by the field supervisor.
  
• 10% of questionnaires are back-checked by the field manager.
  
• Additionally 5% of questionnaires are checked by the researcher assigned to the project.