Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Erharter, Astrid, PhD
• Giesinger, Johannes, MSc
• Kemmler, Georg, PhD
• Schauer-Maurer, Gabriele, MD
• Stockhammer, Guenter, MD
• Muigg, Armin, MD
• Hutterer, Markus, MD
• Rumpold, Gerhard, PhD
• Sperner-Unterweger, Barbara, MD
• Holzner, Bernhard, PhD

Titel

Implementation of Computer-Based Quality-of-Life Monitoring in Brain Tumor Outpatients in Routine Clinical Practice

Ist Teil von

• Journal of pain and symptom management, 2010-02, Vol.39 (2), p.219-229

Ort / Verlag

New York, NY: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2010

Quelle

Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA)

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Abstract Context Computerized assessment of quality of life (QOL) in patients with brain tumors can be an essential part of quality assurance with regard to evidence-based medicine in neuro-oncology. Objectives The aim of this project was the implementation of a computer-based QOL monitoring tool in a neurooncology outpatient unit. A further aim was to derive reference values for QOL scores from the collected data to improve interpretability. Methods Since August 2005, patients with brain tumors treated at the neuro-oncology outpatient unit of the Innsbruck Medical University were consecutively included in the study. QOL assessment (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer [EORTC] Quality of Life Questionnaire [QLQ-C30] plus the EORTC QLQ-brain cancer module [BN20]) was computer-based, using a software tool called the Computer-based Health Evaluation System. Results A total of 110 patients with primary brain tumors (49% female; mean [standard deviation] age 47.9 [12.6] years; main diagnoses: 30.9% astrocytoma, 17.3% oligodendroglioma, 17.3% glioblastoma, 13.6% meningioma) was included in the study. On average, QOL was assessed 4.74 times per patient, 521 times in total. The user-friendly software was successfully implemented and tested. The routine QOL assessment was found to be feasible and was well accepted by both physicians and patients. Conclusion The software-generated graphic QOL profiles were found to be an important tool for screening patients for clinically relevant problems. Thus, computer-based QOL monitoring can contribute to an optimization of treatment (e.g., symptom management, psychosocial interventions) and facilitate data collection for research purposes.