Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2008 ASCO Annual Meeting Proceedings (Post-Meeting Edition).
Vol 26, No 15S (May 20 Supplement), 2008: 17528
© 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology

This Article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Uronis, H. E. Articles by Abernethy, A. P. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Uronis, H. E. Articles by Abernethy, A. P.

Abstract

E/Tablets to collect research-quality, patient-reported data

Duke University, Durham, NC

17528

Background: Programmed, wireless, notebook-and-pen style, computers ("e/Tablets") can collect review of systems data at the point of care, for use in the clinic visit. Can e/Tablets deployed in outpatient oncology clinics be used to collect research survey data that are comparable to paper-based data? Methods: We used PACE e/Tablets (SOS, Inc.) to administer the disease-specific Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT), MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI), and FACT-GOG-Neurotoxicity (NTX) scales. Participants were 113 gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients in Duke GI Oncology Clinic. At each of 4 visits in 6 months, participants completed all surveys in electronic format and 1 survey on paper. Subscales (electronic vs. paper) were compared using paired t-tests. Patients completed an electronic satisfaction survey. Results: Mean age, 57 (SD 11); 67% male; 80% Caucasian; 47% no college degree; 67% metastatic cancer. Patients strongly supported e/Tablets: easy to read (97%), easy to respond to questions (97%), weight of computer comfortable (92%). Patients reported e/Tablets to be helpful for reporting symptoms (82%), and would recommend them to other patients (88%). After Bonferonni corrections (0.05/10=0.005), survey subscale scores for paper and electronic were similar except for the NTX scale. Conclusions: Patients are satisfied with e/Tablets to collect survey data. Preliminary results show that e/Tablets furnish comparable data to those collected by paper questionnaires on nearly all subscales tested. These results in GI cancers support our previous breast cancer study results, suggesting that e/Tablets offer a valid, feasible method for collecting research-quality, clinically relevant data from patients in outpatient academic oncology.