An Exploratory Study of Data Quality Management Practices in the ERP Software Systems Context

Quality data are not only relevant for successful Data Warehousing or Business Intelligence applications; they are also a precondition for efficient and effective use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. ERP professionals in all kinds of businesses are concerned with data quality issues, as a survey, conducted by the Institute of Information Systems at the University of Bern, has shown. This paper demonstrates, by using results of this survey, why data quality problems in modern ERP systems can occur and suggests how ERP researchers and practitioners can handle issues around the quality of data in an ERP software Environment.

Electronic medical record systems, data quality and loss to follow-up: survey of antiretroviral therapy programmes in resource-limited settings

OBJECTIVE: To describe the electronic medical databases used in antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes in lower-income countries and assess the measures such programmes employ to maintain and improve data quality and reduce the loss of patients to follow-up. METHODS: In 15 countries of Africa, South America and Asia, a survey was conducted from December 2006 to February 2007 on the use of electronic medical record systems in ART programmes. Patients enrolled in the sites at the time of the survey but not seen during the previous 12 months were considered lost to follow-up. The quality of the data was assessed by computing the percentage of missing key variables (age, sex, clinical stage of HIV infection, CD4+ lymphocyte count and year of ART initiation). Associations between site characteristics (such as number of staff members dedicated to data management), measures to reduce loss to follow-up (such as the presence of staff dedicated to tracing patients) and data quality and loss to follow-up were analysed using multivariate logit models. FINDINGS: Twenty-one sites that together provided ART to 50 060 patients were included (median number of patients per site: 1000; interquartile range, IQR: 72-19 320). Eighteen sites (86%) used an electronic database for medical record-keeping; 15 (83%) such sites relied on software intended for personal or small business use. The median percentage of missing data for key variables per site was 10.9% (IQR: 2.0-18.9%) and declined with training in data management (odds ratio, OR: 0.58; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.37-0.90) and weekly hours spent by a clerk on the database per 100 patients on ART (OR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.90-0.99). About 10 weekly hours per 100 patients on ART were required to reduce missing data for key variables to below 10%. The median percentage of patients lost to follow-up 1 year after starting ART was 8.5% (IQR: 4.2-19.7%). Strategies to reduce loss to follow-up included outreach teams, community-based organizations and checking death registry data. Implementation of all three strategies substantially reduced losses to follow-up (OR: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.15-0.20). CONCLUSION: The quality of the data collected and the retention of patients in ART treatment programmes are unsatisfactory for many sites involved in the scale-up of ART in resource-limited settings, mainly because of insufficient staff trained to manage data and trace patients lost to follow-up.

Antimicrobial use in Swiss dairy farms: quantification and evaluation of data quality

Data on antimicrobial use play a key role in the development of policies for the containment of antimicrobial resistance. On-farm data could provide a detailed overview of the antimicrobial use, but technical and methodological aspects of data collection and interpretation, as well as data quality need to be further assessed. The aims of this study were (1) to quantify antimicrobial use in the study population using different units of measurement and contrast the results obtained, (2) to evaluate data quality of farm records on antimicrobial use, and (3) to compare data quality of different recording systems. During 1 year, data on antimicrobial use were collected from 97 dairy farms. Antimicrobial consumption was quantified using: (1) the incidence density of antimicrobial treatments; (2) the weight of active substance; (3) the used daily dose and (4) the used course dose for antimicrobials for intestinal, intrauterine and systemic use; and (5) the used unit dose, for antimicrobials for intramammary use. Data quality was evaluated by describing completeness and accuracy of the recorded information, and by comparing farmers' and veterinarians' records. Relative consumption of antimicrobials depended on the unit of measurement: used doses reflected the treatment intensity better than weight of active substance. The use of antimicrobials classified as high priority was low, although under- and overdosing were frequently observed. Electronic recording systems allowed better traceability of the animals treated. Recording drug name or dosage often resulted in incomplete or inaccurate information. Veterinarians tended to record more drugs than farmers. The integration of veterinarian and farm data would improve data quality.

Data quality of animal health records on Swiss dairy farms

High-quality data are essential for veterinary surveillance systems, and their quality can be affected by the source and the method of collection. Data recorded on farms could provide detailed information about the health of a population of animals, but the accuracy of the data recorded by farmers is uncertain. The aims of this study were to evaluate the quality of the data on animal health recorded on 97 Swiss dairy farms, to compare the quality of the data obtained by different recording systems, and to obtain baseline data on the health of the animals on the 97 farms. Data on animal health were collected from the farms for a year. Their quality was evaluated by assessing the completeness and accuracy of the recorded information, and by comparing farmers' and veterinarians' records. The quality of the data provided by the farmers was satisfactory, although electronic recording systems made it easier to trace the animals treated. The farmers tended to record more health-related events than the veterinarians, although this varied with the event considered, and some events were recorded only by the veterinarians. The farmers' attitude towards data collection was positive. Factors such as motivation, feedback, training, and simplicity and standardisation of data collection were important because they influenced the quality of the data.

Monitoring and data quality assessment of the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter

The liquid argon calorimeter is a key component of the ATLAS detector installed at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The primary purpose of this calorimeter is the measurement of electron and photon kinematic properties. It also provides a crucial input for measuring jets and missing transverse momentum. An advanced data monitoring procedure was designed to quickly identify issues that would affect detector performance and ensure that only the best quality data are used for physics analysis. This article presents the validation procedure developed during the 2011 and 2012 LHC data-taking periods, in which more than 98% of the proton-proton luminosity recorded by ATLAS at a centre-of-mass energy of 7–8 TeV had calorimeter data quality suitable for physics analysis.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Switzerland: a comprehensive quality control report on centre effect

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY / PRINCIPLES: Interest groups advocate centre-specific outcome data as a useful tool for patients in choosing a hospital for their treatment and for decision-making by politicians and the insurance industry. Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) requires significant infrastructure and represents a cost-intensive procedure. It therefore qualifies as a prime target for such a policy. METHODS: We made use of the comprehensive database of the Swiss Blood Stem Cells Transplant Group (SBST) to evaluate potential use of mortality rates. Nine institutions reported a total of 4717 HSCT - 1427 allogeneic (30.3%), 3290 autologous (69.7%) - in 3808 patients between the years 1997 and 2008. Data were analysed for survival- and transplantation-related mortality (TRM) at day 100 and at 5 years. RESULTS: The data showed marked and significant differences between centres in unadjusted analyses. These differences were absent or marginal when the results were adjusted for disease, year of transplant and the EBMT risk score (a score incorporating patient age, disease stage, time interval between diagnosis and transplantation, and, for allogeneic transplants, donor type and donor-recipient gender combination) in a multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate comparable quality among centres in Switzerland. They show that comparison of crude centre-specific outcome data without adjustment for the patient mix may be misleading. Mandatory data collection and systematic review of all cases within a comprehensive quality management system might, in contrast, serve as a model to ascertain the quality of other cost-intensive therapies in Switzerland.

Can outcome prediction data change patient outcomes and organizational outcomes?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Intensive care medicine consumes a high share of healthcare costs, and there is growing pressure to use the scarce resources efficiently. Accordingly, organizational issues and quality management have become an important focus of interest in recent years. Here, we will review current concepts of how outcome data can be used to identify areas requiring action. RECENT FINDINGS: Using recently established models of outcome assessment, wide variability between individual ICUs is found, both with respect to outcome and resource use. Such variability implies that there are large differences in patient care processes not only within the ICU but also in pre-ICU and post-ICU care. Indeed, measures to improve the patient process in the ICU (including care of the critically ill, patient safety, and management of the ICU) have been presented in a number of recently published papers. SUMMARY: Outcome assessment models provide an important framework for benchmarking. They may help the individual ICU to spot appropriate fields of action, plan and initiate quality improvement projects, and monitor the consequences of such activity.

Recommendations for the use of ultrasound in rheumatoid arthritis: literature review and SONAR score experience

Ultrasound (US) has become a useful tool in the detection of early disease, differential diagnosis, guidance of treatment decisions and treatment monitoring of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In 2008, the Swiss Sonography in Arthritis and Rheumatism (SONAR) group was established to promote the use of US in inflammatory arthritis in clinical practice. A scoring system was developed and taught to a large number of Swiss rheumatologists who already contributed to the Swiss Clinical Quality Management (SCQM) database, a national patient register. This paper intends to give a Swiss consensus about best clinical practice recommendations for the use of US in RA on the basis of the current literature knowledge and experience with the Swiss SONAR score. Literature research was performed to collect data on current evidence. The results were discussed among specialists of the Swiss university centres and private practice, following a structured procedure. Musculoskelatal US was found to be very helpful in establishing the diagnosis and monitoring the evolution of RA, and to be a reliable tool if used by experienced examiners. It influences treatment decisions such as continuing, intensifying or stepping down therapy. The definite modalities of integrating US into the diagnosis and monitoring of RA treatments will be defined within a few years. There are, however, strong arguments to use US findings as of today in daily clinical care. Some practical recommendations about the use of US in RA, focusing on the diagnosis and the use of the SONAR score, are proposed.

The Swiss Neonatal Quality Cycle, a monitor for clinical performance and tool for quality improvement

BACKGROUND We describe the setup of a neonatal quality improvement tool and list which peer-reviewed requirements it fulfils and which it does not. We report on the so-far observed effects, how the units can identify quality improvement potential, and how they can measure the effect of changes made to improve quality. METHODS Application of a prospective longitudinal national cohort data collection that uses algorithms to ensure high data quality (i.e. checks for completeness, plausibility and reliability), and to perform data imaging (Plsek's p-charts and standardized mortality or morbidity ratio SMR charts). The collected data allows monitoring a study collective of very low birth-weight infants born from 2009 to 2011 by applying a quality cycle following the steps 'guideline - perform - falsify - reform'. RESULTS 2025 VLBW live-births from 2009 to 2011 representing 96.1% of all VLBW live-births in Switzerland display a similar mortality rate but better morbidity rates when compared to other networks. Data quality in general is high but subject to improvement in some units. Seven measurements display quality improvement potential in individual units. The methods used fulfil several international recommendations. CONCLUSIONS The Quality Cycle of the Swiss Neonatal Network is a helpful instrument to monitor and gradually help improve the quality of care in a region with high quality standards and low statistical discrimination capacity.

Sustainable Wastewater Management: Is it Possible to Regulate Micropollution in the Future by Learning from the Past? A Policy Analysis

This paper applies a policy analysis approach to the question of how to effectively regulate micropollution in a sustainable manner. Micropollution is a complex policy problem characterized by a huge number and diversity of chemical substances, as well as various entry paths into the aquatic environment. It challenges traditional water quality management by calling for new technologies in wastewater treatment and behavioral changes in industry, agriculture and civil society. In light of such challenges, the question arises as to how to regulate such a complex phenomenon to ensure water quality is maintained in the future? What can we learn from past experiences in water quality regulation? To answer these questions, policy analysis strongly focuses on the design and choice of policy instruments and the mix of such measures. In this paper, we review instruments commonly used in past water quality regulation. We evaluate their ability to respond to the characteristics of a more recent water quality problem, i.e., micropollution, in a sustainable way. This way, we develop a new framework that integrates both the problem dimension (i.e., causes and effects of a problem) as well as the sustainability dimension (e.g., long-term, cross-sectoral and multi-level) to assess which policy instruments are best suited to regulate micropollution. We thus conclude that sustainability criteria help to identify an appropriate instrument mix of end-of-pipe and source-directed measures to reduce aquatic micropollution.

Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy for patients with somatostatin receptor expressing tumours. German Guideline (S1).

This document describes the guideline for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) published by the German Society of Nuclear Medicine (DGN) and accepted by the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) to be included in the official AWMF Guideline Registry. These recommendations are a prerequisite for the quality management in the treatment of patients with somatostatin receptor expressing tumours using PRRT. They are aimed at guiding nuclear medicine specialists in selecting likely candidates to receive PRRT and to deliver the treatment in a safe and effective manner. The recommendations are based on an interdisciplinary consensus. The document contains background information and definitions and covers the rationale, indications and contraindications for PRRT. Essential topics are the requirements for institutions performing the therapy, e. g. presence of an expert for medical physics, intense cooperation with all colleagues involved in the treatment of a patient, and a certificate of instruction in radiochemical labelling and quality control are required. Furthermore, it is specified which patient data have to be available prior to performance of therapy and how treatment has to be carried out technically. Here, quality control and documentation of labelling are of great importance. After treatment, clinical quality control is mandatory (work-up of therapy data and follow-up of patients). Essential elements of follow-up are specified in detail. The complete treatment inclusive after-care has to be realised in close cooperation with the involved medical disciplines. Generally, the decision for PRRT should be undertaken within the framework of a multi-disciplinary tumour board.