Gj. Huba et al., FAX-IN FORMS AS A TECHNOLOGY FOR EVALUATING COMMUNITY PROJECTS - AN EXAMPLE OF HIV RISK REDUCTION, Educational and psychological measurement, 55(1), 1995, pp. 75-83
Citations number
3
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology, Educational","Psychologym Experimental","Mathematical, Methods, Social Sciences
This article describes a new technology that can be easily adapted to
permit virtually instantaneous tracking and evaluation of community-ba
sed projects that are widely dispersed in the field. Current technolog
ies permit special forms to be sent via an ordinary fax machine into a
centrally located personal computer equipped with an inexpensive fax
modem board. As the faxes are received, hand printed, and ''bubble-cod
ed,'' responses are interpreted and automatically stored in a database
, ready for instantaneous statistical analysis. An application is desc
ribed that uses this technology to track street outreach efforts throu
ghout Los Angeles to injection drug users, prostitutes, and others at
high risk to contract and spread the human immunodeficiency virus. Tra
cking outreach and service efforts provides the capacity for program d
irectors to refocus efforts and to ensure that interventions are condu
cted in a timely and appropriate manner. The use of up-to-date statist
ical summaries and management feedback ensures that the outreach and i
ntervention efforts carried on in the poorest inner-city neighborhoods
are run efficiently and effectively.