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Melanie Mansuy (Unlicensed)

Melanie Mansuy (Unlicensed)

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If your project is is Production and you would like to add some options to a drop-down list, here are some things to remember:

Never change the

number that is

codes (i.e. numbers) that are currently assigned to

the existing options

existing choices for multiple choice or checkbox questions. 

This

Doing so will cause

data

answers on your project to be changed and/or lost. 

For instance, if you had the following drop-down list or radio buttons:
Image Removed
  • I have lots of data entered, but just realized I wanted to add "Good" as a choice on this drop-down list.  I can  number them one of the following ways:

    • Image Removed         or   Image Removed

     

    Whatever I do, I cannot change the option number.  For instance, I cannot make "3=Good" and "4=Great".  This would cause all current answers as "Great" to be changed to "Good"

    This is because REDCap saves the code, but not the worded answer.  Below I demonstrate the problem and ways to avoid it.  This applies to all projects that are in production with existing data entered.

     

    Demonstration of problem caused by changing multiple choice options:

     

    1. I currently have the multiple choice question designed the following way:

        Image Added



    2. Many entries have been made, however, I realize that I want to add "good" as an option.  I would like to place it between "Okay" and "Great".  Situations like this can lead to problems because it oftentimes causes someone to change the numbering on the options.  If you look at the changes I made in the choices below, you can see that I added "Good" and assigned it to the existing option number 3 and reassigned "Great" to option 4 (highlighted in yellow below).  This will cause all existing entries to change the answer "Great" to "Good".

      Unaccepted changes of re-coding the answer "Great" circled in Red in the following image.  "Great" needs to remain being coded as 3 (i.e. 3, Great), or else answers will be changed or lost.
             Image Added
          


    3. The two images below show an accepted way of adding "good" as an option.  This is because the option "great" stays assigned to option number 3 (highlighted in yellow in red box below).
      Accepted changes shown in images below.  The coding for great remained as 3 (i.e. 3, Great)
       
                Image Added      
                          
                Image Added