title: Measuring outcomes in people who have had a stroke and their carers: can the telephone be used?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Telephone interviews may be a cost-effective alternative to administering stroke outcome measures for people who are living in the community following a stroke, but there is a lack of research that has compared the different modes of administering outcome measures. The aim of this study was to determine whether telephone administration of selected stroke outcome measures resulted in significantly different results to face-to-face administration of the same outcome measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen participants who were taking part in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effectiveness of a postdischarge education and support package for stroke patients and their carers were recruited for this study. Participants had the RCT follow-up outcome measures, at 3 months post discharge, administered by both telephone and face-to-face. Participants were randomised to receive either the telephone or face-to-face administration first and a period of 2 weeks separated the two administrations. Outcome measures were the Knowledge of Stroke Questionnaire, a stroke self-efficacy questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale, and the Caregiver Strain Index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences between scores obtained on any of the outcome measures that were administered by telephone and face-to-face (P > .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The telephone can be used to administer the outcome measures that were evaluated in this study to stroke patients and carers. These findings may be of benefit to stroke researchers and clinicians who wish to incorporate the use of telephone measures into the follow-up care of stroke patients and their carers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Tammy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Worrall
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eames
authors.forename: Aisling
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ryan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D011788:Quality of Life; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D020521:Stroke / Q000191:economics*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone / Q000191:economics*