Data processing costs for three posture assessment methods.
Background: Data processing contributes a non-trivial proportion to total research costs, but documentation of these costs is rare. This paper employed a priori cost tracking for three posture assessment methods (self-report, observation of video, and inclinometry), developed a model describing the...
| Published in: | BMC Medical Research Methodology Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 124 - 125 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | research Journal Article |
| Published: |
BioMed Central
2013
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=104114963&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 104114963 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 14712288 1CI1 jtl: BMC Medical Research Methodology issn: 14712288 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: 2013 vid: 13 iid: 1 pid: 24147 pub: BioMed Central artinfo: ui: 104114963 104114963 NLM24118872 2012373194 10.1186/1471-2288-13-124 NLM24118872 104114963 ppf: 124 ppct: 1 formats: tig: atl: Data processing costs for three posture assessment methods. aug: au: Trask, Catherine Mathiassen, Svend Erik Jackson, Jennie Wahlström, Jens affil: Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gävle, SE - 801 76 Gävle, Sweden. catherine.trask@usask.ca. sug: subj: Research, Medical Economics Statistics Economics Computer Simulation Diagnosis Economics Human Nonexperimental Studies Wounds and Injuries Diagnosis Wounds and Injuries Prevention and Control Posture Self Report Economics Shoulder Pathology Torso Pathology Videorecording ab: Background: Data processing contributes a non-trivial proportion to total research costs, but documentation of these costs is rare. This paper employed a priori cost tracking for three posture assessment methods (self-report, observation of video, and inclinometry), developed a model describing the fixed and variable cost components, and simulated additional study scenarios to demonstrate the utility of the model.Methods: Trunk and shoulder postures of aircraft baggage handlers were assessed for 80 working days using all three methods. A model was developed to estimate data processing phase costs, including fixed and variable components related to study planning and administration, custom software development, training of analysts, and processing time.Results: Observation of video was the most costly data processing method with total cost of € 30,630, and was 1.2-fold more costly than inclinometry (€ 26,255), and 2.5-fold more costly than self-reported data (€ 12,491). Simulated scenarios showed altering design strategy could substantially impact processing costs. This was shown for both fixed parameters, such as software development and training costs, and variable parameters, such as the number of work-shift files processed, as well as the sampling frequency for video observation. When data collection and data processing costs were combined, the cost difference between video and inclinometer methods was reduced to 7%; simulated data showed this difference could be diminished and, even, reversed at larger study sample sizes. Self-report remained substantially less costly under all design strategies, but produced alternate exposure metrics.Conclusions: These findings build on the previously published data collection phase cost model by reporting costs for post-collection data processing of the same data set. Together, these models permit empirically based study planning and identification of cost-efficient study designs. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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