Jieun Oh, Jieun Min, Cinoo Kang, Ejin Kim, Jung Pyo Lee, Ho Kim, Whanhee Lee
Excess mortality and the COVID-19 pandemic: causes of death and social inequalities
BMC public health
develop test innovative computerized symptom qualityoflife qol assessment patients cancer evaluated treated radiation therapy descriptive longitudinal prototype development crosssectional clinical data department radiation oncology urban academic medical center 101 outpatients evaluated radiation therapy able communicate english one many interpreters available university washington competent understand study information give informed consent six clinicians caring patients sample enrolled iterative prototype development conducted using standing focus group clinicians software developed based survey markup language implemented wireless webbased format patient participants completed computerized assessment prior consultation radiation physician graphical output pages flagged areas symptom distress troublesome qol issues made available consulting physicians nurses pain intensity symptoms qol demographics computerized versions 0 10 pain intensity numerical scale pins symptom distress scale short form8 focus group recommendations included clinician priorities brevity flexibility simplicity input interface output assessment output contain color graphic display patient participants included 45 women 56 men mean age 527 years sd 138 fewer half participants 40 reported using computer regular basis weekly daily completion time averaged 78 minutes sd 37 moderate high levels distress reported often fatigue pain emotional issues symptoms concerns computerized assessment cancer symptoms qol technically possible feasible ambulatory cancer clinic wireless webbased system facilitates access results data entry retrieval symptom qol profiles patients new radiation therapy comparable samples outpatients cancer ability capture easily interpreted illustration patients symptom qol experience less 10 minutes potentially useful adjunct traditional facetoface interviewing ultimately electronic patientgenerated data could produce automated red flags directed appropriate clinicians eg nurse pain specialist social worker nutritionist evaluation system enhancement could greatly facilitate oncology nurses coordination role caring complex patients cancer