The electronic assessment of the longitudinal course of bipolar disorder: the ChronoRecord software.
Longitudinal studies are the optimal approach when investigating the highly variable course of bipolar disorder, but such studies are expensive, prone to reporting errors and to missing data. Automation of data collection may reduce such errors and improve data quality. The ChronoRecord, validated software that patients can install on a home computer to report mood, medications, sleep, life events, weight and menstrual data, has been designed to achieve such automation. In the trial of the ChronoRecord reported here, 80 of 96 (83 %) patients with bipolar disorder showed high acceptance of this computer-based system for self-report, entering daily recordings for a period of 3-months. This new technology, in addition to providing an accurate longitudinal record for research purposes, also facilitates on-going patient feedback and accurate study monitoring.
Whybrow
P C
PC
Neuropsychiatric Institute & the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences of the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA. pwhybrow@mednet.ucla.edu
Grof
P
P
Gyulai
L
L
Rasgon
N
N
Glenn
T
T
Bauer
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001835:Body Weight; D003625:Data Collection / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D003628:Database Management Systems; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012890:Sleep; D012984:Software
D000928:Antidepressive Agents