Accuracy of Data

New Hope Housing (NHH) initiatives to improve services by locating timely and relevant data on chronic homelessness may be impeded by factors that include inconsistent data collection standards. Desirable standards should contain standardized data definitions and questions and accept the responses from the victims of chronic homelessness. Another challenge is complexity. Sometimes, it may be difficult to ascertain the adequacy of data obtained from a person’s background. When this happens, those who face severe risks and barriers to accessing services are underrepresented (State of Government of Victoria, 2020). Lack of training among the front-line service and the staff assigned in data collection and subsequent knowledge is also an associated challenge, as they feel less confident to ask questions and interpret statements given by the chronically homeless people. Additionally, certain victims’ characteristics may pose challenges as they may have busy schedules and cognitive limitations, reducing the chances of deriving data (Holden et al., 2015).

These challenges may be resolved through the implementation of certain processes at the organizational level through changes in the infrastructure and collection practices. These processes include having data with predefined responses. Data questionnaires need to have predefined responses at the point of entry into the data management system. This will reduce errors resulting in the typographical errors. It is also imperative to train the involved staff. Training should create emphasis on why the organization focuses on the collection of data (State of Government of Victoria, 2020). With a good understanding of the rationale, the staff will feel more confident in asking for more data items. It will also improve their skills in phrasing questions, interpreting answers, and recording responses. The organization can also use data related to key performance indicators. Setting the KPI connected to data can be a motivating factor for the organization in ensuring that the data collection and quality, including its completeness and precision, are taken care of.

References

Holden, R. J., Scott, A. M. M., Hoonakker, P. L., Hundt, A. S., & Carayon, P. (2015). Data collection challenges in community settings: Insights from two field studies of patients with chronic disease. Quality of Life Research, 24(5), 1043-1055.

State of Government of Victoria. (2020). Data collection challenges and improvements. Vic.gov.au. https://www.vic.gov.au/victorian-family-violence-data-collection-framework/data-collection-challenges-and-improvements.