A review of randomized controlled trials comparing the effectiveness of hand held computers with paper methods for data collection

Table 3 Summary of the findings related to timelines in the four studies reporting this outcome.

Study	Timeliness		Conclusions
	Handheld Computers	Paper and Pencil
Rivellese AA et al.1991 ⁴⁰	1 minutes/week to transfer data into computer with 'Food-Meter' cable hook up.	> 30 minutes/week with conventional method. Specific data not provided.	No conclusions were made
Tiplady B et al.1997 ³⁸	Authors claim electronic diary automation reduced total data handling time by over 80%; specific data not provided.	Specific data not provided	No conclusions were made
Lal SO et al. 2000 ³⁵	Average PDA data collection and hook up time was 50 minutes for every group of 10 patients entered	Manual collection with computer entry method was 65 minutes for each group of 10 patients. Total time decreased by 23%	Handheld computers decreased total time by 23%
Walker I et al. 2004 ³²	0.25 days from intravenous infusion to receipt of data. Reminder phone calls 1/patient	25 days from intravenous infusion to receipt of data. Reminder phone calls 5/patient	Major statistical and clinical significance.

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