Telephone Interviewing Group
for Outcomes Research

Kathryn Gaebel, MSc is the manager of TIGOR and has been with the program since its inception in 1992. She has experience with protocol and questionnaire design, ethics submissions, programming questionnaires for use with Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI)
software, and statistical analyses. For more information please contact:

Kathryn Gaebel, Senior Project Manager
Center for Evaluation of Medicines
Level P1105 Main Street East
Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada L8N 1G6
Tel: 905.522.1155 Ext. 34901
Fax: 905.528.7386
Email: gaebk@mcmaster.ca

All TIGOR projects involve collecting outcome data through structured telephone interviews using computer assisted telephone interviewing software (CATI). This software allows for complete management of questionnaires using simple and complex skip patterns, pre-coded and free text response options, and allows randomization of respondents. Data is written directly to the data file as the system moves through each question during a telephone interview. Data files are ASCII format and easily extracted into SPSS or DBase formats for analysis.

Telephone Interviewing Group for Outcomes Research

As part of the Centre for Evaluation of Medicines, TIGOR has support for statistical analysis, clinical and economic evaluation, and ethics submissions.

The methodology used by TIGOR was developed in 1992 as part of the Pharmacy Medication Monitoring Program (PMMP) which collected drug utilization data using a CATI system.

Since then TIGOR has broadened its mandate to collect all types of health outcome data; including (but not limited to) drug utilization, quality of life, health care services utilization, community services utilization, patient satisfaction, etc.

A TIGOR project involves:

Designing a protocol for patient accrual
Designing a questionnaire as the data collection tool
Compiling Telephone Sample (this could be random numbers or pre selected consenting patients)
Mailing an information letter to respondents chosen through the random sample: this letter does increase the accrual rate
(Can Communicable Disease report 2004;30(13):1-3.
Administering telephone interviews
Complete statistical analyses
Preparation of a final report or manuscript for publication

The TIGOR research staff will complete all seven steps or individual steps as required. Respondents are recruited through pharmacies, physician offices, community service organizations, or randomly selected from published telephone numbers for specific target regions across Canada.

Interviews have been administered in three languages – English, French, and Cantonese.
Translation services are available.

TIGOR Projects:

Pharmacy-based Postmarketing Surveillance
Evaluation of Bronchial Medication Use in a Community Setting
Evaluation of Gastrointestinal Drugs in a Community Setting
Assessment of New Anticonvulsant Available Under Compassionate Release Program
Use of Herbal, Natural and Alternative Medicines Among Seniors in Hamilton
Care of the Seriously Ill in the Community (CSIC) Study
Palliative Care Evaluation Study
Etanercept (Enbrel®) Community Health Outcomes (ECHO) Study
Magnitude of Enteric Illness in the City of Hamilton
The Hamilton Caregiver Respite and Support Project (CaReS)
Campylobacter Jejuni and Campylobacter Coli in Humans and Retail Chicken Products in a Defined Geographical Area in Ontario
Magnitude of Enteric Illness in Three Regions in British Columbia
World Youth Day Syndromic Surveillance Using Pharmacy Sentinels
COMPETE II Diabetes Study
COMPETE III Vascular Tracker
Palliative Care Network for York Region Study
Evaluation of Patient Access to Diabetic Medications
Determination of Patient Characteristics Associated with Statin Use
Food Consumption Patterns in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo
The Osteoporosis Fracture Management Study
Community Acquired MRSA Study
Community Acquired Pneumonia in Seniors Study
Patient’s perspective on current practices and behaviours for management of type 2 diabetes.