MCR: Open-Source Software to Automate Compilation of Health Study Report-Back

Erin Polka, Ellen Childs, Alexa Friedman, Kathryn S. Tomsho, Birgit Claus Henn, Madeleine K. Scammell and Chad W. Milando
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Erin Polka: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118, USA
Ellen Childs: Abt Associates, Division of Health and the Environment, 6130 Executive Blvd, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
Alexa Friedman: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118, USA
Kathryn S. Tomsho: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
Birgit Claus Henn: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118, USA
Madeleine K. Scammell: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118, USA
Chad W. Milando: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-12

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.

Keywords: report-back; health equity; community engagement; data sharing; software (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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