Touch-screen computer systems in the rheumatology clinic offer a reliable and user-friendly means of collecting quality-of-life and outcome data from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the feasibility of collecting rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient self-administered outcome data using touch-screen computers in a routine out-patient clinic.


METHODS
Forty patients with RA completed the touch-screen and paper Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RAQol) in the clinic and rated ease of use and preference. Forty-five others completed the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and visual analogue scales (VASs) for pain, fatigue and global arthritis activity on touch screen and paper and a joint assessment on touch screen. They rated ease of use and willingness to complete the assessment again. Joints were independently assessed, and completion times and technical problems recorded.


RESULTS
No technical problems were encountered. The touch-screen RAQol took no longer to complete, was preferred by 64% (33% had no preference) and was rated significantly higher for ease of use (two-tailed P=0.003, n=40) even by computer naïve patients (two-tailed P=0.031, n=24). Intraclass correlation coefficients between methods were high for RAQol (0.986) and tender joint counts (0.918), and as high for the pain, fatigue and global activity (0.855, 0.741, 0.881) as for test-retest of the paper versions (0.865, 0.746, 0.863). Ninety-eight per cent rated the touch screen very/quite easy for HAQ and VAS, and 90% for joint assessment. Ninety-six per cent stated a willingness to complete the touch-screen assessment in clinic again.


CONCLUSIONS
Touch-screen questionnaires in the clinic can produce comparable results to paper, eliminate the need for data entry and afford immediate access to results. It is an acceptable, and in many cases a preferable, option to paper, regardless of age and previous experience of computers.
Greenwood
M C
MC
The Academic Rheumatology and Osteoporosis Unit, Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust, Leytonstone, London E11 1NR, UK. Mandy.Greenwood@whippsx.nhs.uk.
Hakim
A J
AJ
Carson
E
E
Doyle
D V
DV
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000523:psychology*; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D016287:Computer Peripherals / Q000592:standards*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014584:User-Computer Interface