Abstracts 41s

background, attitudes and level of satisfaction) to a joint meeting of study investigators and coordinators.

One of our findings was that almost half of the respondents did not feel that they were strongly supported by the investigator in their center. This perceived lack of support appeared to be associated with lower levels of job satisfaction and patient recruitment. Among the feedback we received after the results presentation was the suggestion that we should also have surveyed the TP investigators.

In order to gain a greater understanding of the perceived lack of investigator support and to acquire more information about the physicians who became TP study investigators, we plan to mail a questionnaire to them in January 1996. The information requested will include demographics, positive and negative aspects of participation in the trial, and level of satisfaction with the investigator role.

The results of the investigator survey will be presented. We hope that the combined findings from both surveys will help us as a data coordinating center to better understand and provide for the needs and goals of our participating researchers.

A07 TRAINING AND QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES FOR REMOTE

DATABASE MANAGEMENT OF 24 HOUR DIETARY RECALLS

Linda Doroshenko, Mary Self, Shiriki Kumanyika, Joanne Caulfield, Julia Robertson and Kathy Lane

Bowman Gray School of Medicine Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The Minnesota Nutrition Data System (NDS) software, which permits collection of optimal 24-hour dietary recall data with a minimum of burden to study participants, was selected as the dietary assessment method for the multicenter Trial of Nonpharmocologic Interventions in the Elderly (TONE). Recalls were collected on all participants (ages 60-80) at four clinical centers during screening and at designated points during the follow-up period. Data were received by the Coordinating Center (Bowman Gray School of Medicine) weekly via electronic data transfer. The development and maintenance of training and quality control procedures for use of NDS in this context addressed challenges posed by TONE’s remote database management system and the varied professional backgrounds of the NDS interviewers.

Training of interviewers was conducted centrally or on-site by registered dietitians certified as trainers. Phase I of the training involved a Z-day training class. Phase II required trainees to conduct ten acceptable 24-hour recalls using TONE procedures on study-simiir subjects. These interviews were audiotaped and sent to the trainers with Record Reports of the recall for review and scoring.

For ongoing quality control, interviewers were required to submit audiotaped recalls on a regular basis. Additionally, a Record Report of all recalls was reviewed at the Coordinating Center for unusual or incomplete entries. Data queries were returned to the interviewer for attention and correction in the database.

Analyses of data indicated that the number of reviewed tapes required to successfully complete Phase 11 was inversely related to the interviewers’ level of experience with dietary data and confirmed the need to continue the labor-intensive retraining and monitoring effort throughout the study. Additional analyses will identify possible ways to streamline the process and reduce coordinating center staff burden without loss of data quality.