Completed Research Project
Collecting quality of life data from patients in clinical studies attending hospital outpatient clinics: An innovative use of a touch screen tablet
Investigators: Kristjanson,
L. J., McDermid,
D., Spry, N., & Joseph, D.
Funding: ECU-Industry Collaboration Scheme and
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital ($36,652).
Abstract: This project improved the efficiency and effectiveness of data collection from patients in clinical studies attending hospital outpatient clinics. If technology can be shown to be sufficiently user-friendly, then patients can enter their quality of life data directly into a system thus avoiding duplication of effort and transcription errors and increasing efficiency to a point where many more studies are economical. Paper-based and many computer-based entry systems are ineffective because they have no means of guiding the patient through cascading questionnaires or reminding patients that they have not entered or incorrectly entered certain items within the questionnaire. The combination of touch screen tablet technology together with user-friendly, well-designed software that supported cascading questionnaire checking and prompting increased the likelihood of complete and accurate quality responses and thus the effectiveness of quality of life questionnaires or indeed any survey. Final data gathering was completed by end 2004.
