How To Collect Data For COVID-19 With Survey Tools

How can you collect data for COVID-19 using survey tools?

1. Radio button
2. Mobile surveys
3. Checkbox survey
4. Fill-in-the-blank questions

 

COVID-19 survey tools are typically used by healthcare centers. In many ways, they are made to answer these surveys as a way of gauging whether they’re equipped enough to handle COVID-19 cases. This has many implications regarding the availability of testing centers, testing kits, medical personnel, and the like.

On the other hand, health care centers are not the only ones who might be able to take advantage of survey tools. Though many of those in the private sector are still following the arrangements of a work-from-home setup, many people are also returning to office spaces.

Whether you’re managing a small, medium, or a large business, it’s important that you take the necessary precautions in maintaining the health and well-being of everyone. It’s not just those who are physically present in your office space. Continue reading to learn more.

 

Radio button

Radio button-type questions are mainly used to collect insight from users about how high or how low they’re rating a particular item.

When you’re managing a business, you’ll eventually have to make use of radio-button type questions in gaining insights from your employees regarding many metrics. For example, you can utilize radio button-queries in questions like “How satisfied are you in the company’s efforts in maintaining the health and well-being of everyone during this pandemic?”.

Your employees, who are also your respondents, would simply have to click on a button which most corresponds to their answer. You may implement a numerical scheme for this kind of button question, allowing them to provide you with a 0-10 rating. On the other hand, you can have a more qualitative approach, such as assigning “Extremely satisfied” or “Not at all satisfied” to your radio-button survey.

 

Mobile surveys

Another method of collecting data regarding COVID-19 is through the use of mobile surveys. This can be applicable in the field of research and development, especially those who are in need of a set of randomized respondents. Mobile surveys are also a great way for governmental and other public bodies to gauge the efficacy of measures they’ve put in place.

In crafting questions for mobile surveys, being brief and concise should be a priority. Though many people are making use of smartphones and other handheld devices, not everyone can deftly make use of these kinds of devices. Furthermore, people conducting mobile surveys should not overestimate people’s attention spans — these questions should be direct to the point and won’t waste their time.

An effective mobile survey to collect COVID-19 data limits itself to Yes/No questions, or is only requiring answers which do not last longer than a sentence. Questions such as “Are we doing a good job in implementing social distancing?” or “What can we do to improve social distancing measures?” are a good starting point.

Since not everyone in the country is fluent in the English language, it’s also important to accommodate those who are only able to understand Filipino, as their insights are invaluable in getting a clear picture of your survey.

 

Checkbox survey

Unlike mobile surveys, checkbox surveys are mainly done through online platforms and not through SMS. This is a convenient method of getting instantaneous answers, as correspondents simply need to choose from a set of options.

Once more, both the public and private sectors would be able to take advantage of checkbox-type questions. For public or governmental bodies, online checkbox surveys may be utilized as a part of a series of COVID-19 awareness questionnaires. Questions relating to age-groups, source of COVID-19 news, or a list of symptoms on COVID-19 may accommodate a checkbox form. These questions are usually supplanted with statements like “Check all that apply” or reiterations of this.

Meanwhile, private companies may also send out checkbox questionnaires for their employees who are returning to the physical workspace. Questions like “Which products should the office supply as part of protective measures against COVID-19?”

 

Fill-in-the-blank questions

Another more effective COVID-19 survey tool is using fill-in-the-blank questionnaires. Though these may take a much longer time compared to simple checkbox or radio button questions, these can offer clearer and more specific answers.

Going back to the previous example, fill-in-the-blank questions can make contact tracing for the public sector much easier. They will need information regarding the last location that a person has visited in the past week or so. More personal information such as name, age, or even a history of medical information.

 

Key Takeaway

COVID-19 survey tools are useful for a variety of means. Both the public and private sectors are making use of these tools in their COVID-19 efforts.

As said before, private companies may make use of either, or a combination of these tools, to gauge the satisfaction of the employees with regards to COVID-19 response efforts. The public sector can also effectively use these tools to reach the broader public as these are more accessible compared to manual forms of data collection.