2002 NSDUH Field Interviewer Manual

9. DOCUMENTING AND REPORTING PROCEDURES

9.1 Introduction

The documentation and reporting of field activities you provide is used to closely monitor the ongoing NSDUH data collection. There are a number of ways you document and report field activities, through:

1. Record of Calls. The actions you take to complete screenings and interviews are documented in the Record of Calls on your Newton (see Chapter 6).

2. CAI Manager. The CAI Manager on the Gateway displays all breakoff and completed interviews and the status of their transmission to RTI (see Chapter 5 of the FI Computer Manual).

3. Newton Data Transmission. Screening data, screening and interview result codes, Record of Calls information, verification for non-interviews, refusal report data, and weekly PT&E (Production, Time & Expense) summary statistics are all transmitted from your Newton to RTI (see Chapter 6 of the FI Computer Manual).

4. Laptop Data Transmission. CAI data are transmitted from your Gateway to RTI (see Chapter 6 of the FI Computer Manual).

5. Conference Calls. You and your FS will have scheduled conference calls at least once each week (see Section 9.4).

6. ePTE. Each week you will submit your electronic Production, Time and Expense report (ePTE). In the event of computer problems, paper PT&E reports serve as a backup and must also be submitted weekly. (see Chapter 11).

7. PT&E Summary. Enter totals each week from your ePTE into the PT&E Summary Data Report in the Newton. (See Section 9.3)

9.2 Transmissions from the Field

Each day you work, transmit screening and interviewing data from the Newton and the Gateway to RTI. Project staff closely monitor all daily transmissions and production data reports. Occasionally, your FS may request that you transmit on a certain day even if you did not work. Additionally, if there are periods where you are not working or are not completing interviews so not transmitting from the Gateway, we ask that you still transmit from the Gateway once a week (at least) to receive any messages sent to you. For more details about the logistics of transmitting, see Chapter 6 of the FI Computer Manual.

9.3 Entering Weekly PT&E Summary Data in Newton

Project managers generate a variety of weekly reports that incorporate production totals, PT&E summary data, and response rates. Each workweek begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday. It is important that you complete your ePTE report as explained in Chapter 11, and enter your Hours, Miles and Expense totals into the Newton as you finish up your week on Saturday. You have until midnight each Sunday night (RTI time), to transmit this data from your Newton. Weekly reports are generated early on Monday mornings, so your weekly production and PT&E summary data are needed on time for the reports to be complete. Headway makes payment from the ePTE reports you submit electronically to your FS, not from the transmitted summary totals. Your ePTE reports must also be transmitted by midnight (RTI time) on Sundays.

The transmitted summary PT&E data are the basis for several reports, so accuracy is important. Your FS compares transmitted summary PT&E data to your submitted ePTE and will discuss any discrepancies with you. These entries should be identical unless you are working on travel status. When preparing your Newton summary data for work completed on travel status, include any expenses billed directly to RTI, such as lodging, car rental, and airfare.

Because you are entering weekly totals from your completed ePTE report and not daily totals, you must wait until you have finished your workweek before entering the summary data into your Newton. The Newton program reminds you to enter PT&E summary data if you transmit on a Saturday or Sunday since the deadline is midnight on Sunday. However, the Newton lets you enter the data on any day of the week in case you need to transmit PT&E summary data on a day other than Saturday or Sunday because your workweek ended before then. For example, if you finished your workweek on a Thursday (and did not plan to work Friday or Saturday), you could enter your PT&E summary data on Thursday. For most weeks, however, you will enter it on Saturday night or Sunday.

To enter PT&E summary data: Prepare your ePTE report for submission so you have your total hours, miles, and expenses for the week. If working on travel status, include in the Newton summary totals any expenses billed directly to RTI, such as lodging, car rental, and airfare. On the Newton, start at the Select Case screen. Tap on Admin, then tap Enter PT&E Data.
A box appears saying, "THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO UNTRANSMITTED PT&E RECORDS. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD ONE?" If you arrive at this screen in error, tap No, which takes you back to the Select Case screen. If you want to enter a PT&E record, tap Yes.
The PT&E Data screen prefills the current "week of" information. You cannot change this. You are only allowed to enter PT&E totals for the current workweek (or if you are entering it on Sunday, the most recent workweek). If you fail to enter this data, your FS must enter it the following week on the management Website. However, the weekly reports will be inaccurate due to this omission, so it's a very important task!
Check to see that the correct quarter is selected. You will need to separate PT&E charges for any weeks that span two quarters (e.g. for the week in which Quarter 1 changes to Quarter 2, the hours worked in March need to be assigned to Quarter 1 and the hours worked in April assigned to Quarter 2).
If your FS Name is not displayed, tap on the diamond () to the left of the FS label and a drop-down list of all FS names appears. Tap on your FS's name. In some situations, it is possible that you could work for two FSs in a given week. In this case, you would need to enter two PT&E summary records, one for your FS and one for the other FS. If you work for another FS, you need to enter the total hours, miles, and expenses you worked in the other area under that FS's name. This ensures the correct assignment of the cost of data collection. Also, you may be on travel status for your FS and also complete work that same week while not on travel status. After you complete the two separate ePTE records, add the totals together so that you can enter the total summary data for your FS including both travel and non-travel hours, miles and expenses.
Tap on the title TASK NUMBER and select 460 as the task number for screening and interviewing. Your FS will notify you when/if you should use a different task number.
To enter total hours, tap HOURS and a numeric keypad appears. Tap on the digits for your total hours, using the decimal point as necessary. Use the "del" key to back up and delete an incorrect entry. Keep the numeric keypad open since it is used for the next entry: miles.
Continue by tapping MILES to enter the total number of miles driven during the week. Tap EXPENSES to enter any miscellaneous expenses incurred during the week. Enter only the number and a decimal point. A dollar sign is not required. If you do not have any expenses to report, tap the X in the bottom right corner of the keypad to close the keypad. If you did have expenses, type a note explaining the expenditure(s). Tap on the A next to NOTES, and a keyboard appears. Review your entries, correct any errors, then tap Done.
Two other options offered on this screen are: Cancel Entry, which erases the data shown and exits the PT&E summary program. A pop-up box appears to verify that you meant to cancel the entry. Clear Response, which clears the response in the category selected. You will see a faint dotted box surrounding the selected category. Tap on the category again to select it and enter the correct data. Once you tap Done, you will be asked if you need to enter PT&E data for another task or FS. Tap No (unless you have worked for two different FSs during the week.)
PT&E Summary also allows you to view the totals you have entered and update them prior to transmitting. Once you transmit, you cannot make corrections. Only your FS can update your transmitted PT&E summary data. You can choose to view already transmitted PT&E records from this screen. This comes in handy if your FS notices a discrepancy between your submitted PT&E report and your transmitted totals. Refer to this screen to see what you entered.
Tap Done to exit to Select Case.
If you begin the Newton transmission process (described in Chapter 6 of the Computer Manual) on a Saturday or Sunday, and you have not yet entered your PT&E summary data, you are asked if you want to do it before you transmit. These prompts are designed as helpful reminders. If you tap Yes, the program takes you directly to the PT&E Data screen. Enter your data, then begin the transmission process.

If you have any questions about entering your PT&E summary data, contact your FS.

9.4 Conference Call with Field Supervisor

Another crucial way you document your work is in your regularly scheduled telephone conference call to review the status of your assignment with your FS. Your supervisor will schedule a set time with you for this conference call. Be prepared and ready at your scheduled time. Your FS has many conferences scheduled and needs to start each call on time to maintain the schedule. Be considerate of your FS and your fellow interviewers. If you cannot make a scheduled conference, contact your FS as soon as the conflict arises to see when you can reschedule the call.

During your call, you will discuss production up through the day before your call. Have your Newton turned on to the Select Case screen to view the current status of your cases. Each evening after all transmissions have occurred, the RTI computer processes all the data and Newton ROC information. This processing involves the creation of detailed reports which are available to all the supervisors around the country on the project Website. Your FS, with a few clicks of the computer mouse, can view your work history on any specific case, noting when you went to the unit and the result code you entered. This is the same information you have on your Newton. While the two of you view the same detailed information, you can discuss your experiences in the field, plans for converting refusal cases, ways to improve data quality, and production issues, etc. You also want to discuss any technical problems with your equipment or uncertainty about procedures and protocols.

The next few sections cover types of issues you need to discuss with your FS.

9.4.1 Noninterview/Refusal Cases

Discuss all potential noninterviews with your FS. Use the completed Newton Refusal Report and any notes you made as you discuss each situation with your supervisor and assess the possible circumstances that resulted in the refusal or unwillingness to cooperate (see Section 5.6 for refusal reason codes). Letters can be sent for refusals with identified, non-situational reasons.

During transmission to RTI, the refusal data from your Newton is transmitted as well. The control system automatically submits a refusal conversion letter request unless you indicate the refusal is situational (i.e., ill, house too messy) or you check "Need to discuss with FS" on the Refusal Report. By indicating you need to talk with your FS, you are effectively placing the refusal letter request "on hold." Otherwise, the day after transmission, your FS will see the refusal report on the Website and will either release your refusal letter(s) for printing and mailing or not release the letter(s) until talking to you.

During the call, you and your FS can decide the best follow-up approaches for refusals, which may include changing the time of day you visit the household, transferring the case to another interviewer with different characteristics, etc. After you and your FS have discussed the case in detail, he/she will recommend appropriate follow-up action.

9.4.2 Problems Encountered During the Week

During your conference call, give your FS details about the problems you have encountered and any special circumstances you expect. Your FS will discuss strategies for dealing with potential problem areas or cases. These problems could include refusals, language barriers, locating problems, transferred cases, and so on.

9.4.3 Production in Relation to Project Goals

To properly plan your workload, you must have a clear picture of the scope of your assignment, project deadlines and production goals. Your FS will help you establish production goals that satisfy your needs and meet necessary project deadlines. It is beneficial to both you as an interviewer and to RTI if you are realistic and straightforward about your goals and expectations when discussing your planned workload with your supervisor.

9.4.4 Plan for Next Week's Workload

Share with your FS your plan for the upcoming week's workload. He/she will help you refine your plan to meet specific individual and project goals. As discussed in Chapter 4, planning your work in advance increases efficiency and decreases costs. Therefore, when planning the next week's workload, you and your supervisor should discuss the location of your cases, any anticipated need for an escort, any anticipated travel problems, any unusual expenses you might incur, or any anticipated scheduling problems.

9.4.5 Problems with Quality of Work

You should also discuss with your FS any questions or doubts you have concerning your understanding of the project materials or any project procedures. In turn, your FS will bring to your attention any problems identified while reviewing or verifying your work.

9.5 Reporting Summary

The following summarizes the reporting requirements for the NSDUH. If any point is unclear, discuss it with your FS:

1. Daily computer transmissions (on days you worked)

• Completed Screening Data and current ROC events (Newton)

• Completed Interview Data (Gateway)

2. Daily documenting (on days you worked)

• Complete PT&E entries for the day on a working copy

3. Weekly computer transmissions - by midnight Sundays

• PT&E Summary Data (Newton)

• Submit ePTE (Gateway)

4. Weekly telephone conference with supervisor discussion topics:

• Status of assigned cases

• Noninterview/Refusal cases

• Data quality items

• Problems encountered during the week

• Production in relation to project goals

• Feedback on work completed

• Plan for next week's workload

• Equipment problems

• Request supplies if necessary

• Review Newton PT&E summary entries, ePTE reports submitted.

5. Mail shipments

• On a weekly basis, mail to your FS:

• Completed reference date calendars with the Case IDs recorded on them,

• Copies of completed Interview Payment Receipts,

• If needed, completed Headway Expense Reports with attached receipts (see Chapter 11 for details), and

• Any backup paper PT&Es completed due to computer or other problems with attached receipts (see Chapter 11 for details).

• Mail to RTI: Mail completed Verification Forms from completed interviews to RTI within 24 hours of the completion of the interview. Use the verification envelopes provided.

Exhibit 9.1 contains a weekly calendar running Sunday through Saturday. If you wish, use it to record your weekly tasks.

Exhibit 9.1 Weekly NSDUH Tasks

REVIEW OF CHAPTER 9
Documenting and Reporting Procedures

To assist your learning process, read the following summary of key points in this chapter. Following the summary are several questions to ask yourself. These questions will help you identify those areas you understand, and pinpoint the areas where you would benefit from re-reading a particular section.

SUMMARY

• The ongoing and accurate reporting of field activities is absolutely vital to this study. There are many ways you provide documentation: ROC, CAI Manager, transmissions from your Newton and Gateway, conference calls, and your submitted Production, Time, and Expense reports, including the summary data on your Newton.

• At least once each week, you will have a scheduled conference call with your FS. Many topics are discussed, including the status of all of your assigned cases, the strategies for completing your cases successfully, the plan for the upcoming week, your submitted ePTE, and any problems or concerns you may have.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

1. What information can you see displayed on the Gateway CAI Manager?

2. When must you transmit all of your PT&E summary information on your Newton each week?

3. What is the weekly deadline for submitting your ePTE?

4. What is the task number for your data collection work on this study?

5. During conference calls with your Field Supervisor, what materials should you have?

6. What will you be mailing to your FS on a weekly basis? What will you be mailing directly to RTI?

This page was last updated on May 16, 2008.

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