title: Monitoring symptoms at home: what methods would cancer patients be comfortable using?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to determine which methods of remote symptom assessment cancer outpatients would be comfortable using, including those involving information technology, and whether this varied with age and gender.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire survey of 477 outpatients attending the Edinburgh Cancer Centre in Edinburgh, UK.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most patients reported that they would not feel comfortable using methods involving technology such as a secure website, email, mobile phone text message, or a computer voice on the telephone but that they would be more comfortable using more traditional methods such as a paper questionnaire, speaking to a nurse on the telephone, or giving information in person.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The uptake of new, potentially cost-effective technology-based methods of monitoring patients' symptoms at home might be limited by patients' initial discomfort with the idea of using them. It will be important to develop methods of addressing this potential barrier (such as detailed explanation and supervised practice) if these methods are to be successfully implemented.
authors.affiliation: Psychological Medicine Research, School of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Kennedy Tower, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, EH10 5HF, UK. annet.kleiboer@ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: Annet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kleiboer
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gowing
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holm Hansen
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hibberd
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hodges
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Parvez
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thekkumpurath
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharpe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017216:Telemedicine; D055815:Young Adult
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