Editing a question definition

Question code

This is the name that you assigned to the question at its creation. This cannot be changed.

Question name

This is initially the same as the question code. If you wish to change the name, you may edit this field, using up to 50 characters, which may include spaces. Help on names

The question name or code appears in the Question List. The name can be different from the question caption, which is the wording that appears next to the question entry field on the eForm. The question caption is initially the same as the question name, but it can be changed.

Question export code

Not used in the current version.

Copied from

If the question has been copied from another study, or from the Library, the name and version of that study will be displayed here. These are read-only fields.

Question type

Select a question type from the drop down list. This determines the type of response that you expect and affects the format selections available to you.

There are several question types available. More help...

If a date/time question is being used as an eForm date, you cannot change its type.

You should not change a question type once the study has been opened for subject data entry.

Unit of measurement

This field is only available for integer and real number questions.

Select a unit of measurement from the drop down list. This is the unit that you want the data entry user to use in their response to the question. A unit will be displayed automatically for laboratory test questions.

The unit will be displayed to the right of the question caption on the eForm. See image

The list of available units is maintained in the Library Management module.

Format

Type in the required format or select a format from the drop down list. This is the format in which you want the user to enter their response to the question.

When typing in a format, there are certain conventions that must be followed for text/number questions and for date/time questions.

The contents of the drop down list are dependent upon the question type selected, and on the list of available formats which is maintained in the Library Management module.

You may leave this field blank for text questions. Category and multimedia questions cannot have formats.

You should not change the format of a question once the study has been opened for subject data entry.

Maximum length

This field is only available for text questions.

Enter the maximum number of characters allowed for the response up to the limit of 3800. You can also specify the display length of the response entry field.

Case

This field is only displayed for text questions. See image

Select the case in which you want the response to be displayed on the eForm.

Allow partial date

This field is only displayed for date/time questions and only when the partial dates feature is enabled. See image

Check this if you wish the data entry user to be able to enter a partial date. This check box will be disabled if the format includes time, or is year only.

Category sharing

These fields are only displayed for category questions.

To use the category options from another category question, select it from the top list.

The bottom list shows any questions that are referencing the options in the current question. More help on sharing options...

Group

This field is only displayed for laboratory test questions. See image

Select the clinical test group into which the test described by the question falls. This list is maintained in the Library Management module.

Test

This field is only displayed for laboratory test questions. See image

Select the code of the clinical test that is described by the question. The contents of the list are dependent upon the test group selected and are maintained in the Library Management module. The full description of the test will be displayed in a read-only field below.

Thesaurus

This field is only displayed for thesaurus questions. See image

Select the dictionary that you wish to be used when coding this question. The list contains all dictionaries that have been registered with the current database.

Derivation

Use this only if you want the response for this question to be automatically calculated or derived. If a question is 'derived', it will appear as a read-only field on the eForm during data entry.

Enter the Arezzo expression or formula that will calculate the required response. The question type, unit, format and length must be relevant to the expected response. For example, if you wish to derive a date value, the derived question must be of a date/time type.

You can type directly into this field, or launch the Expression Builder.

Metadata description

You can use this free text field for additional information about the question. This information is only ever displayed within the Study Definition module.

To edit the metadata description for a question, you need the 'Edit question metadata description' permission

Help text

If you wish, enter any additional instructions for the data entry user. This help text will be displayed in the Question Details window for the question during data entry. The maximum number of characters allowed for the help text is 2000 characters, or 200 if you plan to export into SAS-readable format.