[Computerized measurement for asthma-specific quality of life: comparison with a conventional paper-and-pencil questionnaire].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a computerized touch-screen version of the asthma-specific quality-of-life (cA-QOL) questionnaire against the conventional paper-and-pencil version (pA-QOL) for equivalence, time for completion, user preference, and ease of use.


METHODS
A total of 261 patients were recruited. A randomized cross-over design was used. Patients in group A completed the cA-QOL first while waiting to see a physician, and completed the pA-QOL version after seeing the physician. Patients allocated in group B completed these questionnaires in the reverse order. The patients were asked questions about user preference and ease of use of the cA-QOL. The time taken to complete both versions of the questionnaire was measured.


RESULTS
Weighted kappa coefficients of all items showed almost perfect agreement. The time required to complete the pA-QOL is faster than the time for cA-QOL. The patients who preferred the cA-QOL were 37.5%, while those who preferred the pA-QOL were 29.9%. Most patients reported that the cA-QOL was "easy" or "very easy" to complete.


CONCLUSIONS
The cA-QOL is the computerized equivalent of the pA-QOL. The findings herein demonstrate that the cA-QOL can be helpful to nurses in busy practices for assessing, collecting, and evaluating their patients' health related quality of life.
Lee
Eun-Hyun
EH
Graduate School of Public Health, Ajou University, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Korea. ehlee@ajou.ac.kr
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000523:psychology*; D016287:Computer Peripherals; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057240:Patient Preference; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014584:User-Computer Interface