Computer-assisted telephone interview techniques (letter)

Fox et al. used computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) techniques in an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis. Australian health agencies have used CATI for several years. A case-control study during an outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka in 1996 employed CATI to interview 15 casepatients and 45 controls; contaminated peanut butter was implicated. Foodborne disease outbreaks are often geographically widespread and suited to using CATI.