Using a Mobile Health Application for Data Collection in Esophageal Cancer Case-Control Studies in Africa

Abstract 38 Purpose Partners in the African Esophageal Cancer Consortium have recently begun several new case-control studies. Building on prior breast cancer research in the region using a mobile application programmed by Mobenzi, a South African–based mobile health company, we decided to leverage the technology to support the success of this combined effort. The aim of the current study was to coordinate research in multiple settings to evaluate known and new risk factors and their contributions to the African esophageal squamous cell carcinoma burden, as well as to use the mobile health platform with the same questions across sites when possible, but allow site-specific questions when needed to optimize data collection efficiency and accuracy. Methods Substantial effort was dedicated to harmonizing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma questionnaires used in high-risk areas around the world to capture a broad range of putative risk factors. Priority was placed on established or probable carcinogens that have been previously identified, as well as tailoring the questionnaires for each site to explore new exposures that are unique to these settings. Skip patterns were programmed into the application to ensure proper survey application. Informed consent documents, biospecimens, and pathology reports can be labeled with QR codes and scanned into the application for documentation and tracking. Results The application is currently in use at four consortium-led case-control study sites in Moshi, Tanzania; Bomet, Kenya; Lilongwe, Malawi; and Blantyre, Malawi. After downloading the application to a study tablet, data collection can begin and then be uploaded to the shared, secure mobile health database immediately or whenever internet access allows. Conclusion All study sites are now collecting data using this mobile health platform. The application will increase efficiency, eliminate transcription mistakes, and allow real-time quality control and supervision of field activities from any location worldwide. Unified data entry on mobile devices will also allow us to quickly pool data and analyze similarities and differences across sites. AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST No COIs from the authors.