Epi Info

Epi Info is a highly reliable statistical software designed for epidemiology research, sporting a rich array of modules for survey creation and analytic routines. Developed by a team that aims to prevent and control diseases, the application’s purpose is to assists physicians, nurses and generally, medical staff to collect and visualize data in a simplistic manner.
Epi Info has been on the market for twenty years and is the software of choice for many research and medical centers all over the world. It has a great advantage over the traditional paper surveys, by automating data entering and analysis, thus saving time and increasing productivity.
Epi Info bundles a wide range of modules that have separate purposes, thus differentiating the stages of a complete epidemiologic analysis process. As such, it relies on a Form Designer that allows for the creation of surveys consisting of multiple questions that can be placed on the page in conformance with the user’s desire.
The Form Designer features a ‘Check Code’ capability that forces events to occur depending on various conditions in the data set. For instance, if the subject is a male, all questions related to the characteristics specific for a female are hidden, thus greatly simplifying the survey operation.
The next module is the one for entering the data into the created questionnaire. If the survey has been designed correctly, the data insertion turns out to be complication-free.
The most powerful section is the analytic one and includes two methods, namely ‘Classic’ and ‘Visual Dashboard’. The latter is a more lightweight approach and bundles only some of the commands available in the former. The Classic module is a richer component with advanced routines that consist of t-tests, cross tabulations, risk ratios and differences, to name just a few.
Finally, The Map section is able to display data using GPS coordinates or geographical references. It uses data layers and shape files to distribute the information over the world map.
In conclusion, Epi Info is a valuable asset that works in favor of extensive epidemiologic studies in order to deliver statistical results quickly, that otherwise would be accomplishable over a much wider time span.