Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and International Health, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
Information Technology Services, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2023 Jul 5;23(1):113. doi: 10.1186/s12911-023-02217-0.
Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) refers both to a chain-referral sampling method and an analytical model for analysing sampled data. Web-based respondent-driven sampling (webRDS) uses internet-based recruitment coupled with an electronic survey to carry out RDS studies; there is currently no commercially available webRDS solution. We designed and developed a webRDS solution to support a research study aimed at estimating conflict-attributable mortality in Yemen. Our webRDS solution is composed of an existing survey platform (i.e. ODK) and a bespoke RDS system. The RDS system is designed to administer and manage an RDS survey cascade and includes: (1) an application programming interface, (2) a study participant client, and (3) an administrator interface. We report here on the design of the webRDS solution and its implementation.
We consulted members of the Yemeni diaspora throughout the development of the solution. Technical obstacles were largely the result of: WhatsApp's policies on bulk messaging and automated messaging behaviour, the inherent constraints of SMS messaging, and SMS filtering behaviour. Language support was straight-forward yet time consuming. Survey uptake was lower than expected. Factors which may have impacted uptake include: our use of consumable survey links, low interest amongst the diaspora population, lack of material incentives, and the length and subject matter of the survey itself. The SMS/WhatsApp messaging integration was relatively complex and limited the information we could send potential participants.
Despite lower-than expected survey uptake we believe our webRDS solution provides efficient and flexible means to survey a globally diverse population.
应答驱动抽样（RDS）既指一种链式 referral 抽样方法，也指用于分析抽样数据的分析模型。基于网络的应答驱动抽样（webRDS）使用基于互联网的招募方式，并结合电子调查来开展 RDS 研究；目前还没有商业化的 webRDS 解决方案。我们设计并开发了一个 webRDS 解决方案，以支持一项旨在估计也门冲突归因死亡率的研究。我们的 webRDS 解决方案由一个现有的调查平台（即 ODK）和一个定制的 RDS 系统组成。RDS 系统旨在管理和管理 RDS 调查级联，包括：（1）应用程序编程接口，（2）研究参与者客户端，和（3）管理员界面。我们在此报告 webRDS 解决方案的设计及其实现。
我们在解决方案的开发过程中咨询了也门侨民的成员。技术障碍主要是由于：WhatsApp 关于群发消息和自动消息行为的政策、SMS 消息传递的固有限制以及 SMS 过滤行为。语言支持简单但耗时。调查参与率低于预期。可能影响参与率的因素包括：我们使用可消耗的调查链接、侨民人口的兴趣较低、缺乏物质激励以及调查本身的长度和主题。SMS/WhatsApp 消息传递集成相对复杂，限制了我们可以向潜在参与者发送的信息。
尽管调查参与率低于预期，但我们认为我们的 webRDS 解决方案为调查全球多样化的人群提供了高效灵活的手段。
