Cost and implementation analysis of a personal digital assistant system for laboratory data collection.
METHODS
One hundred and twenty-six public health centers and laboratories in Lima, Peru, without internet.


BACKGROUND
We have previously shown that a personal digital assistant (PDA) based system reduces data collection delays and errors for tuberculosis (TB) laboratory results when compared to a paper system.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the data collection efficiency of each system and the resources required to develop, implement and transfer the PDA-based system to a resource-poor setting.


METHODS
Time-motion study of data collectors using the PDA-based and paper systems. Cost analysis of developing, implementing and transferring the PDA-based system to a local organization and their redeployment of the system.


RESULTS
Work hours spent collecting and processing results decreased by 60% (P < 0.001). Users perceived this decrease to be 70% and had no technical problems they failed to fix. The total cost and time to develop and implement the intervention was US$26092 and 22 weeks. The cost to extend the system to cover nine more districts was $1125 and to implement collecting patient weights was $4107.


CONCLUSIONS
A PDA-based system drastically reduced the effort required to collect TB laboratory results from remote locations. With the framework described, open-source software and local development, organizations in resource-poor settings could reap the benefits of this technology.
Blaya
J A
JA
Partners In Health, Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. jblaya@mit.edu
Gomez
W
W
Rodriguez
P
P
Fraser
H
H
D034201:Computers, Handheld / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003625:Data Collection / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D019049:Developed Countries; D006801:Humans; D010568:Peru; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis*