Developing an Internet-based survey to collect program cost data

This manuscript describes the development and testing of an Internet-based cost survey that was designed by the authors for the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC) to capture the costs of school-based health programs. The intent of the survey was twofold. First, the survey was designed to collect comprehensive data on costs in a uniform and consistent manner that would be appropriate for economic evaluations and to inform policy. Second, the survey was constructed such that program administrators potentially could use it as a tool for internal purposes related to operations and planning. We begin by describing the economic conceptual framework on which the survey is based and the need for a cost data collection instrument that can be used both within and outside of a traditional research setting. We then outline the survey components and how they were developed, pilot-tested, and refined. We conclude with a discussion of how this survey is currently being used and how a survey of this type can be applied in other settings to collect program cost data for economic evaluations.