{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,13]],"date-time":"2026-04-13T12:14:19Z","timestamp":1776082459428,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,5]],"date-time":"2023-07-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1688515200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,5]],"date-time":"2023-07-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1688515200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100020171","name":"Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100020171","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000030","name":"US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["Grant #GH002319"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Grant #GH002319"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000030","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Med Inform Decis Mak"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) refers both to a chain-referral sampling method and an analytical model for analysing sampled data. Web-based respondent-driven sampling (webRDS) uses internet-based recruitment coupled with an electronic survey to carry out RDS studies; there is currently no commercially available webRDS solution. We designed and developed a webRDS solution to support a research study aimed at estimating conflict-attributable mortality in Yemen. Our webRDS solution is composed of an existing survey platform (i.e. ODK) and a bespoke RDS system. The RDS system is designed to administer and manage an RDS survey cascade and includes: (1) an application programming interface, (2) a study participant client, and (3) an administrator interface.\u00a0We report here on the design of the webRDS solution and its implementation.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>We consulted members of the Yemeni diaspora throughout the development of the solution. Technical obstacles were largely the result of: WhatsApp\u2019s policies on bulk messaging and automated messaging behaviour, the inherent constraints of SMS messaging, and SMS filtering behaviour. Language support was straight-forward yet time consuming. Survey uptake was lower than expected. Factors which may have impacted uptake include: our use of consumable survey links, low interest amongst the diaspora population, lack of material incentives, and the length and subject matter of the survey itself. The SMS\/WhatsApp messaging integration was relatively complex and limited the information we could send potential participants.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec><jats:sec>\n                <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>Despite lower-than expected survey uptake we believe our webRDS solution provides efficient and flexible means to survey a globally diverse population.<\/jats:p>\n              <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12911-023-02217-0","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,5]],"date-time":"2023-07-05T07:02:19Z","timestamp":1688540539000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Design and implementation of a web-based, respondent-driven sampling solution"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Catherine R.","family":"McGowan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Promise","family":"Ekoriko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Mervat","family":"Alhaffar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Cassidy-Seyoum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Steven","family":"Whitbread","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Phil","family":"Rogers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Lucy","family":"Bell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Checchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,5]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"2217_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"174","DOI":"10.2307\/3096941","volume":"44","author":"DD Heckathorn","year":"1997","unstructured":"Heckathorn DD. Respondent-driven sampling: a New Approach to the study of hidden populations. Soc Probl. 1997;44(2):174\u201399.","journal-title":"Soc Probl"},{"key":"2217_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107702","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugalcdep.2019.107702","volume":"206","author":"K Abdesselam","year":"2020","unstructured":"Abdesselam K, Verdery A, Pelude L, Dhami P, Momoli F, Jolly AM. The development of respondent-driven sampling (RDS) inference: a systematic review of the population mean and variance estimates. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020;206:107702.","journal-title":"Drug Alcohol Depend"},{"issue":"2","key":"2217_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"377","DOI":"10.1093\/jssam\/smab056","volume":"10","author":"IE Fellows","year":"2022","unstructured":"Fellows IE. On the robustness of Respondent-Driven Sampling Estimators to Measurement Error. J Surv Stat Methodol. 2022;10(2):377\u201396.","journal-title":"J Surv Stat Methodol"},{"key":"2217_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Johnston LG, Hakim AJ, Dittrich S, Burnett J, Kim E, White RG. AIDS Behav. 2016;20(8):1754\u201376. A Systematic Review of Published Respondent-Driven Sampling Surveys Collecting Behavioral and Biologic Data.","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-016-1346-5"},{"issue":"1","key":"2217_CR5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e17564","DOI":"10.2196\/17564","volume":"23","author":"YB Helms","year":"2021","unstructured":"Helms YB, Hamdiui N, Kretzschmar MEE, Rocha LEC, van Steenbergen JE, Bengtsson L, et al. Applications and recruitment performance of web-based respondent-driven sampling: scoping review. 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Diaspora engagement: a scoping review of diaspora involvement with strengthening health systems of their origin country. 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The study was carried out in line with LSHTM\u2019s Good Research Practice Policy [Version 2: 5.0] and all regulatory obligations required by the General Data Protection Regulation and its legal instrument governing its implementation in the UK (i.e. the Data Protection Act 2018). All participants provided informed consent to participate in the study through positive action. Eligibility to participate in the study required positive assertion; no one under the age of 18 was eligible to participate. A Data Protection Impact Assessment for this project was reviewed and approved by the LSHTM Data Protection Officer.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare that they have no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"113"}}