Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Volume 39, Issue 2 , Pages 219-229, February 2010

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

  • Astrid Erharter, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • ,
  • Johannes Giesinger, MSc

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • ,
  • Georg Kemmler, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • ,
  • Gabriele Schauer-Maurer, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • ,
  • Guenter Stockhammer, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • ,
  • Armin Muigg, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • ,
  • Markus Hutterer, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • ,
  • Gerhard Rumpold, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • ,
  • Barbara Sperner-Unterweger, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • ,
  • Bernhard Holzner, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to: Bernhard Holzner, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.

Accepted 13 July 2009.

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.

Key Words: Computer, quality of life, assessment, monitoring, neuro-oncology

 

 The project was partly funded by the “Jubiläumsfond” of the Austrian National Bank.

PII: S0885-3924(09)01134-8

doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2009.06.015

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Volume 39, Issue 2 , Pages 219-229, February 2010

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