***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
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    Input: Background The use of Internet-based question naires for collection of data to evaluate patient education and other interventions has increased in recent years . Many self-report instruments have been vali date d using paper- and -pencil versions , but we can not assume that the psychometric properties of an Internet-based version will be identical . Objectives To look at similarities and differences between the Internet versions and the paper- and -pencil versions of 16 existing self-report instruments useful in evaluation of patient interventions . Methods Participants were recruited via the Internet and volunteered to participate ( N=397 ) , after which they were r and omly assigned to fill out question naires online or via mailed paper- and -pencil versions . The self-report instruments measured were overall health , health distress , practice mental stress management , Health Assessment Question naire ( HAQ ) disability , illness intrusiveness , activity limitations , visual numeric for pain , visual numeric for shortness of breath , visual numeric for fatigue , self-efficacy for managing disease , aerobic exercise , stretching and strengthening exercise , visits to MD , hospitalizations , hospital days , and emergency room visits . Means , ranges , and confidence intervals are given for each instrument within each type of question naire . The results from the two question naires were compared using both parametric and non-parametric tests . Reliability tests were given for multi-item instruments . A separate sample ( N=30 ) filled out identical question naires over the Internet within a few days and correlations were used to assess test-retest reliability . Results Out of 16 instruments , none showed significant differences when the appropriate tests were used . Construct reliability was similar within each type of question naire , and Internet test-retest reliability was high . Internet question naires required less follow-up to achieve a slightly ( non-significant ) higher completion rate compared to mailed question naires . Conclusions Among a convenience sample recruited via the Internet , results from those r and omly assigned to Internet participation were at least as good as , if not better than , among those assigned mailed question naires , with less recruitment effort required . The instruments administered via the Internet appear to be reliable , and to be answered similarly to the way they are answered when they are administered via traditional mailed paper question naires & NA ; Electronic question naires for pain assessment are becoming increasingly popular . There have been no published reports to establish the equivalence or psychometric properties of common pain question naires administered via desktop computers . This study compared responses to paper ( P ) and touch screen electronic ( E ) versions of the Short‐Form McGill Pain Question naire ( SF‐MPQ ) and Pain Disability Index ( PDI ) , while examining the role of computer anxiety and experience , and evaluating patient acceptance . In a r and omized , crossover design 189 chronic pain patients completed P and E versions of the SF‐MPQ and PDI , and self‐ratings of anxiety , experience , relative ease and preference . Psychometric properties were highly similar for P and E question naires . For the SF‐MPQ , 60 % or more of subjects gave equivalent responses on individual descriptors and PPI scale , with 80 % rating within ±1 point for an 11‐point VAS . Correlations for the SF‐MPQ scales ranged from 0.68 to 0.84 . For the PDI , 60 % or more of subjects responded within ±1 point on individual questions , and the total score correlation was 0.67 . Comparison of mean difference scores revealed no significant differences between modes for any of the question naire items or scores . Anxiety and experience scores showed no significant associations through correlations and high/low comparisons . Although nearly half of subjects reported no computer training , anxiety ratings were low , and considerably more subjects rated the E question naires as easier and preferred . Findings are consistent with test‐retest reliability data , and support the validity and acceptance of electronic versions of the SF‐MPQ and PDI Background While modern electronic data collection methods ( e.g. , computer touch-screen or web-based ) hold much promise , most current studies continue to make use of more traditional data collection techniques , including paper- and -pencil administration and telephone interviews . The present r and omized trial investigated the measurement properties of the EORTC QLQ-C30 under three different modes of administration ( MOA 's ) . Methods A heterogeneous sample of 314 cancer patients undergoing treatment at a specialized treatment center in Amsterdam were r and omized to one of three MOA 's for the QLQ-C30 : paper- and -pencil at home via the mail , telephone interview , and paper- and -pencil at the hospital clinic . Group differences in internal consistency reliabilities ( Cronbach 's alpha coefficient ) for the scale scores were compared . Differences in mean scale scores were also compared by means of ANOVA , with adjustment for potential confounders . Results Only one statistically significant , yet minor , difference in Cronbach 's alpha between the MOA groups was observed for the Role Functioning scale ( all 3 alphas > 0.80 ) . Significant differences in group means -after adjustment- were found for the Emotional Functioning ( EF ) scale . Patients completing the written question naire at home had significantly lower levels of EF as compared to those interviewed via the telephone ; EF scores of those completing the question naire at the clinic fell in-between those of the other two groups . These differences , however , were small in magnitude . Conclusions MOA had little effect on the reliability or the mean scores of the EORTC QLQ-C30 , with the possible exception of the EF scale Background The most commonly used survey methods are self-administered question naires , telephone interviews , and a mixture of both . But until now evidence out of r and omised controlled trials as to whether patient responses differ depending on the survey mode is lacking . Therefore this study assessed whether patient responses to surveys depend on the mode of survey administration . The comparison was between mailed , self-administered question naires and telephone interviews . Methods A four-armed , r and omised controlled two-period change-over design . Each patient responded to the same survey twice , once in written form and once by telephone interview , separated by at least a fortnight . The study was conducted in 2003/2004 in Germany . 1087 patients taking part in the German Acupuncture Trials ( GERAC cohort study ) , who agreed to participate in a survey after completing acupuncture treatment from an acupuncture-certified family physician for headache , were r and omised . Of these , 823 ( 664 women ) from the ages of 18 to 83 ( mean 51.7 ) completed both parts of the study . The main outcome measure was the comparison of the scores on the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey ( SF-12 ) and the Grade d Chronic Pain Scale ( GCPS ) question naire for the two survey modes . Results Computer-aided telephone interviews ( CATI ) result ed in significantly fewer missing data ( 0.5 % ) than did mailed question naires ( 2.8 % ; p < 0.001 ) . The analysis of equivalence revealed a difference between the survey modes only for the SF-12 mental scales . On average , reported mental status score was 3.5 score points ( 2.9 to 4.0 ) lower on the self-administered question naire compared to the telephone interview . The order of administration affected results . Patients who responded to the telephone interview first reported better mental health in the subsequent paper question naire ( mean difference 2.8 score points ) compared to those who responded to the paper question naire first ( mean difference 4.1 score points ) . Conclusion Despite the comparatively high cost of telephone interviews , they offer clear advantages over mailed self-administered question naires as regards completeness of data . Only items concerning mental status were dependent on the survey mode and sequence of administration . Items on physical status were not affected . Normative data for st and ardized telephone question naires could contribute to a better comparability with the results of the corresponding st and ardized paper question naires Background Research in quality of life traditionally relies on paper- and -pencil question naires . Easy access to the Internet has inspired a number of studies that use the Internet to collect question naire data . However , Internet-based data collection may differ from traditional methods with respect to response rate and data quality as well as the validity and reliability of the involved scales . Objective We used a r and omized design to compare a paper- and -pencil question naire with an Internet version of the same question naire with respect to differences in response rate and completeness of data . Methods Women referred for mammography at a Danish public hospital from September 2004 to April 2005 , aged less than 67 years and without a history of breast cancer , were eligible for the study . The women received the invitation to participate along with the usual letter from the Department of Radiology . A total of 533 women were invited to participate . They were r and omized to receive either a paper question naire , with a prepaid return envelope , or a guideline on how to fill in the Internet-based version online . The question naire consisted of 17 pages with a total of 119 items , including the Short Form-36 , Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 , Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale , and questions regarding social status , education level , occupation , and access to the Internet . Nonrespondents received a postal reminder giving them the option of filling out the other version of the question naire . Results The response rate before the reminder was 17.9 % for the Internet group compared to 73.2 % for the paper- and -pencil group ( risk difference 55.3 % , P < .001 ) . After the reminder , when the participant could chose between versions of the question naire , the total response rate for the Internet and paper- and -pencil group was 64.2 % and 76.5 % , respectively ( risk difference 12.2 % , P = .002 ) . For the Internet version , 97.8 % filled in a complete question naire without missing data , while 63.4 % filled in a complete question naire for the paper- and -pencil version ( risk difference 34.5 % , P < .001 ) . Conclusions The Internet version of the question naire was superior with respect to completeness of data , but the response rate in this population of unselected patients was low . The general population has yet to become more familiar with the Internet before an online survey can be the first choice of research ers , although it is worthwhile considering within selected population s of patients as it saves re sources and provides more complete answers . An Internet version may be combined with the traditional version of a question naire , and in follow-up studies of patients it may be more feasible to offer Internet versions OBJECTIVE To compare participants ' responses to Web-based and paper- and -pencil versions of an ophthalmic , patient-reported outcome ( PRO ) question naire . DESIGN Question naire development . PARTICIPANTS Matched subjects with ocular surface disease ( OSD ) ( n = 68 ) and without OSD ( controls , n = 50 ) . METHODS Subjects completed a st and ard , paper- and -pencil and a Web-based version of the same question naire in r and omized order . The administered question naire included several ophthalmic PRO subscales : the National Eye Institute 's ( NEI 's ) Refractive Error Quality of Life Instrument 's Clarity of Vision , Near Vision , Far Vision , Glare , Symptoms , Worry , and Satisfaction with Correction subscales ; the Ocular Surface Disease Index 's ( OSDI 's ) Symptoms subscale ; and the NEI 's Visual Function Question naire 's Driving subscale . Possible scores for each subscale ranged from 0 ( no difficulty ) to 100 ( most difficulty ) . Agreement of subscale scores between modes of administration was assessed using the Bl and -Altman approach and multivariable logistic regression . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Subscale scores and an unweighted average total score for each mode of administration . RESULTS Mean differences in scores between modes of administration ranged from -2.1 to + 2.3 units . Although no differences were found to be statistically significant , the Worry and Satisfaction with Correction subscales approached statistical significance ( P = 0.07 and 0.08 , respectively ) . Although most subscale mean differences in score did not differ significantly by gender , age ( ≥40 vs. < 40 years ) , disease status ( OSD vs. control ) , order of administration , or time between completion of the question naires , women had slightly greater score differences than men for the Driving ( P = 0.04 ) and Clarity of Vision ( P = 0.03 ) subscales ; those with OSD had greater score differences for Clarity of Vision than did controls ( P = 0.0006 ) ; and those aged ≥40 years had slightly greater differences in OSDI Symptoms subscale than those aged < 40 years ( P = 0.04 ) . CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge , this Food and Drug Administration and NEI collaboration is the first study to evaluate the equivalence of Web-based and paper versions of ophthalmic PRO question naires . We found no evidence of clinical ly significant differences between scores obtained by the 2 modes for any of the examined subscales . A Web-based instrument should yield scores equivalent to those obtained by st and ard methods , providing a useful tool that may facilitate ophthalmic innovation . FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S ) The author(s ) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any material s discussed in this article Background In clinical and research practice linked to prostate cancer treatment , frequent monitoring of patient health-related quality of life ( HRQOL ) is essential . Practical and analytic limitations of paper question naire data capture may be overcome with the use of self-administered personal digital assistant ( PDA ) data collection . The objective of this study was to assess the reliability , validity , and feasibility of using PDA in place of paper versions of the International Prostate Symptom Score ( IPSS ) , the Patient Oriented Prostate Cancer Utility Survey ( PORPUS ) , and the International Index of Erectile Function-5 ( IIEF-5 ) in a prostate cancer clinic setting . Methods 152 participants were r and omly assigned to one of three conditions : 1 ) paper followed by PDA survey ; 2 ) PDA followed by paper survey ; or 3 ) PDA followed by PDA survey . Evaluation included an assessment of data quality ( internal consistency , test-retest reliability , response correlation , completeness of data ) , and feasibility ( participation rates , time to 
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No evidence of bias was found for : ( 1 ) paper versus electronic self-complete ; and ( 2 ) self-complete versus assisted MOA .
Heterogeneity for paper versus electronic comparison was explained by type of construct ( i.e. physical vs. psychological ) .
Heterogeneity for self-completion versus assisted modes was in part explained by setting ( clinic vs. home ) ; the largest bias was introduced when assisted completion occurred in the clinic and follow-up was by self-completion ( either electronic or paper ) in the home .
Conclusions Self-complete paper and electronic MOA can be used interchangeably for research in clinic and home setting s. Self-completion and assisted completion produce equivalent scores overall , although heterogeneity may be induced by setting .