1. MCR: Open-Source Software to Automate Compilation of Health Study Report-Back
- Author
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Kathryn S. Tomsho, Madeleine K. Scammell, Birgit Claus Henn, Alexa Friedman, Erin Polka, Ellen Childs, and Chad W. Milando
- Subjects
Computer science ,Process (engineering) ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,media_common.quotation_subject ,data sharing ,Health Promotion ,community engagement ,010501 environmental sciences ,report-back ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,Software ,Humans ,Quality (business) ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,media_common ,health equity ,0303 health sciences ,Community engagement ,business.industry ,software ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,030311 toxicology ,Environmental Exposure ,Environmental exposure ,Data science ,Research Personnel ,Health equity ,Data sharing ,Massachusetts ,Medicine ,Engineering design process ,business - Abstract
Sharing individualized results with health study participants, a practice we and others refer to as “report-back,” ensures participant access to exposure and health information and may promote health equity. However, the practice of report-back and the content shared is often limited by the time-intensive process of personalizing reports. Software tools that automate creation of individualized reports have been built for specific studies, but are largely not open-source or broadly modifiable. We created an open-source and generalizable tool, called the Macro for the Compilation of Report-backs (MCR), to automate compilation of health study reports. We piloted MCR in two environmental exposure studies in Massachusetts, USA, and interviewed research team members (n = 7) about the impact of MCR on the report-back process. Researchers using MCR created more detailed reports than during manual report-back, including more individualized numerical, text, and graphical results. Using MCR, researchers saved time producing draft and final reports. Researchers also reported feeling more creative in the design process and more confident in report-back quality control. While MCR does not expedite the entire report-back process, we hope that this open-source tool reduces the barriers to personalizing health study reports, promotes more equitable access to individualized data, and advances self-determination among participants.
- Published
- 2021