Planning, Organisation, and Management of Fieldwork in Biobank Studies

The importance of fieldwork in population health research has not diminished in the era of big data. Contemporary prospective biobank studies tend to collect large amounts of exposure and health outcome data from a large number of participants. Although disease outcome data are often obtained through linkages with registries and hospital records, the exposure data are generally collected directly from the participants, through questionnaire surveys (e.g., in-person, telephone, postal, or online), physical measurements, and collection and assays of biological samples (e.g., blood, urine, and saliva) at baseline recruitment and at other time points. There are many legal, logistic, and practical challenges in establishing large biobank studies, many of which are related to the fieldwork. Careful planning and organisation, efficient coordination and management, and effective implementation and monitoring are critical to ensure a successful launch and smooth operation of fieldwork. This chapter delineates key considerations and procedures involved in planning and organising fieldwork in biobank studies. Moreover, it describes certain novel methodological approaches relevant for the smooth operation of assessment centres and acquisition of high quality data. The general approaches described should also be applicable to other population-based studies (e.g., cross-sectional surveys and case–control studies).