title: Are electronic diaries useful for symptoms research? A systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to evaluate electronic diaries as a tool for investigating associations between physical symptoms and psychological variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative systematic review of electronic diary studies in pain and symptoms research was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Studies of electronic diary use report good acceptability and accuracy of data recording. A descriptive classification of the findings of electronic diary studies yielded five categories: experience, recording data when symptoms were present; interaction, testing the relationship between variables at different levels; sequential, observing associations at different time lags; process, recording possible mediating constructs such as catastrophization and self-efficacy; and intervention, recording during treatment to identify trends. Most data from diary studies suggest relatively weak associations between variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electronic diaries are a potentially valuable tool for psychosomatic research. We suggest further possibilities for their use.
authors.affiliation: Division of Community Health Sciences, General Practice Section, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. chris.burton@ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weller
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharpe
mesh_terms: D034201:Computers, Handheld; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology