Data Completeness and Concordance in the FeverApp Registry: Comparative Study

Abstract

Background The FeverApp registry uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to collect parental data on pediatric fever for scientific research. The mobile app FeverApp educates parents on safe fever management and serves as a fever diary. Objective The focus of this study was to evaluate the completeness and concordance of the EMA-based FeverApp registry with regard to its data quality from a multilevel perspective. Methods Structured descriptions of fever episodes by health care professionals from an office were used as reference. The number of children, their sociodemographic data, and agreement of fever episodes, with maximum temperature, intake of antipyretics and antibiotics, and physician visits, were compared with the entries in the corresponding physician’s reference records. The data quality indicators for completeness, meaning the extent to which the necessary data for the registry has actually been submitted, and concordance, which is the correspondence of the value of a data element with a reference source, were chosen to analyze whether EMA may be a suitable method for this kind of registry. Results In both data sources, 1012 children were available for comparison over 16 months. The completeness of gender (1012/1012, 100%) and date of birth (1004/1012, 99.2%) information was high, and the mismatches were 0.69% (7/1012) and 1.19% (12/1012), respectively, between the sources. Of these 1012 children, 668 (66%) registered fever episodes in FeverApp. They relate to 534 families with 953 fever episodes in the reference records and 1452 episodes in the FeverApp registry. Of the 534 families, 183 (34.3%) refrained from visiting the office during fever episodes but nevertheless documented them in FeverApp. Largest part (766/1452, 52.75%) episodes were recorded exclusively in the FeverApp registry by 371 (371/534, 69.5%) families. The remaining 686 (47.2%) episodes of 391 (58.5%) children from 351 (65.7%) families were comparable with the reference data source in terms of physician visits, medication, and temperature. The completeness ranged, depending on the kind of variable, from 11.5% to 65% in the registry and from 7.6% to 42.6% in the office. The 953 fever episodes reported by the reference office consisted of 681 (71.5%) acute and 272 (28.5%) past episodes. In FeverApp, most past (262/272, 96.3%) but less acute (424/681, 62.3%) episodes have been entered. The concordance rates were varied: 90.2% for antibiotic use, 66.6% for antipyretic use, 61.7% for physician visits, and 16% for the highest temperature during the fever episode. Conclusions Both sources delivered only partial data, and the rates of completeness and concordance depended on the kind of variable. However, the FeverApp registry showed higher documentation and precision rates than professional records for all considered variables. Therefore, EMA may play a unique supplement for research in ambulatory care. FeverApp could support pediatric offices, especially during the pandemic.

Children’s Symptoms with a Febrile Illness and a Positive or Negative Test of SARS-CoV-2 during the Omicron Wave

“…This allows us to look at an entire episode and see which symptoms were reported at least once within that episode. Second, the FeverApp had a higher documentation and precision rate than data from a pediatric practice [ 24 ], so the study complements the results from other study settings. The high number of symptoms queried is another strength.…”

“…Second, we observed an entire fever episode and included the symptoms, which were recorded at least once within that fever episode. Third, the FeverApp showed to have a higher documentation and precision rate than records from a pediatrician’s practice [ 24 ]. Finally, the frequencies of Corona symptoms differ in other studies as well.…”

“…Since 2019, an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of febrile infections exists with the FeverApp registry, which contains documentation of Corona tests performed on participating families since April 2020 as well. A study has shown that it can extend the data collected at pediatric practices [ 24 ]. To shed light on the research questions raised above, the FeverApp data are used as it may complement studies conducted in other settings.…”

Parental Confidence in Relation to Antipyretic Use, Warning Signs, Symptoms and Well-Being in Fever Management—Results from an App-Based Registry

“…The Info-Library consists of 23 chapters regarding fever and its management, as well as educational videos, specific information for corona and basic principles, such as when to go to a doctor or when medication is not necessary ( Figure 1 a). These case report forms were validated with a pediatricians office regarding the evaluation of data completeness and concordance within the FeverApp [ 19 ].…”