Introduction:
Functional impairments in patients with head and neck cancer (HNSCC) and their quality
of life have so far been inadequately standardized in everyday clinical practice.
Previous experience with computer-assisted quality of life measurements suggests a
positive benefit for patients and physicians in tumor follow-up. The aim is to develop
a standardized tablet-based data collection using standardized instruments and their
multimedia data processing and the associated improvement in the quality of life and
communication between doctor and patient.
Methods:
Prospective non randomized Controlled Care Study to Measure Quality of life and functional
impairment in patients with HNSCC in the waiting group design. Using a tablet-based
survey, data on functioning, symptom burden, quality of life and survival are to be
collected depending on the therapy and current complaints of patients with head and
neck cancer. The multimedia processing of the questionnaires for the treated doctor
will take place later in a second phase of the project.
Result:
To date, 61 patients have been enrolled. In contrast, there are 27 patients who were
unable to attend the survey due to various causes.
Conclusion:
After integrating the tablet-based survey into the clinic's internal workflows, the
first few months showed that optimizing user acceptance requires improving internal
processes and ongoing software development. A final statement about the added value
of tablet-based data collection can not be answered at this time.
