Five Quick Ways To Improve Data Validation

By Ben Baumann

Mistakes happen in the course of data entry. A research coordinator, intending to input a weight of 80 kilograms, leaves the field before striking the “0” key. Her colleague, completing a field for temperature, enters a value of 98, forgetting that the system expects the measurement in Celcius. But no adult enrolled in a clinical study weighs 8 pounds. And the patient with a body temp of 98 degrees Celsius? Fever is something of an understatement!

Left standing, errors like the ones above distort analysis. That’s why data managers spend so much time reviewing submitted data for reasonableness and consistency. What if it were possible to guard against introducing error in the first place? With electronic forms, it is possible.

“Edit checks,” sometimes called “constraints” or “validation,” automatically compare inputted values with criteria set by the form builder.  The criteria may be a set of numerical limits, logical conditions, or a combination of the two. If the inputted value violates any part of the criteria, a warning appears, stating why the input has failed and guiding the user toward a resolution (without leading her toward any particular replacement).