The present paper is devoted to the analysis of a form and reports that were created for a database, which is based on the information from SEER, a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. The form is made in the split view: it allows us to enter all the data for every state and simultaneously view the changes in the form of a spreadsheet. The format was modified to differentiate the fields that are made for entering data with the help of the property sheet. It is also a non-pop-up and non-modal form, which provides the user with more control over its performance (Alexander & Kusleika, 2016).
Who will be utilizing the Form to enter data into the system?
In SEER, the registers (the data concerning particular patients with a particular and limited amount of details) is provided by registrars (bodies and institutions) (Collen, 2012; NIH, n.d.). Their employees are likely to ensure the compliance of the data provided with the SEER standards, and they are the users of SEER forms. Similarly, for the presented database, the person who can enter the data is an employee responsible for the task; they do not have to have an in-depth knowledge of Access for this purpose.
Why were the specific reporting requirements selected?
The reporting requirements were selected because they reflect the two cancer-related parameters of the database (the incidence and the death rate) and can display the data from the database in a most convenient way.
Who will be using the Reports?
The reports from this database are likely to be of interest to individuals who are studying the cancer rates for a personal reason or for someone who is reporting on the issue. Given the fact that the publicly available data on SEER is meant exactly for this aim (NIH., n.d.), which is justified by the need to educate people on cancer for preventative purposes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016), the presented database is in line with SEER.
What value do these Reports lend to the target audience?
The reports provide a snapshot of the key cancer statistics parameters for the Black population in every state. They can be used for illustrative purposes and to provide this basic information.
Who will have access to manage and modify the existing Form and Reports?
Nowadays, health information management is a specific, separate profession; information managers are supposed to ensure the “availability, accuracy, and protection” of databases (Abdelhak & Hanken, 2014, p. 41). The management of a database of the scale of SEER is likely to require a particular effort of information managers, but the presented database could occasionally require the attention of one manager to update and improve its forms and reports.
What will your process be for developing new Reports?
The first step for new reports development would consist of extending this database; it is so small that the current two reports provide almost all the information contained in it. After that, I would need to consider the data that I have and use one of the Create Report options that MS Access suggests for this purpose.
The data that is currently being used in the database is publicly available from SEER. Therefore, if a person wants to use the form for new information, they can access data for free at the SEER web site. Should a person decide to request more extensive data for the database, they will want to contact SEER or a similar organization as a researcher and sign the user agreement. Depending on the conditions of the agreement, they should be able to enter the data into the database via the form or a new one.
Concerning the reports, to get one, a person who is working with the database might use the several Report option in the Access Create menu. The wizard is the easiest one, especially for simple reports and the people who are not very familiar with Access. To create a report that is similar to the ones presented, a person would want to choose the fields they are interested in (for example, the state and both incidence rates), then decide on the grouping, sorting (not required for these reports, but can be done), and layout (tabular here), and then modify the resulting layout and design if needed. Alternatively, a person may enter the design view immediately or choose a completely blank report.
References
Abdelhak, M. & Hanken, M. (2014). Health information. New York, NY: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Alexander, M. & Kusleika, D. (2016). Access 2016 Bible. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). What Is Cancer?. Web.
Collen, M. (2012). Computer medical databases. London: Springer-Verlag London Ltd.
NIH. (n.d.). About SEER. Web.