Routine psychosocial distress screening in radiotherapy: implementation and evaluation of a computerised procedure.
BACKGROUND
To implement distress screening in routine radiotherapy practice and to compare computerised and paper-and-pencil screening in terms of acceptability and utility.


METHODS
We used the Stress Index RadioOncology (SIRO) for screening. In phase 1, 177 patients answered both a computerised and a paper version, and in phase 2, 273 patients filled out either the computerised or the paper assessment. Physicians received immediate feedback of the psycho-oncological results. Patients, nurses/radiographers (n=27) and physicians (n=15) evaluated the screening procedure.


RESULTS
The agreement between the computerised and the paper assessment was high (intra-class correlation=0.92). Patients' satisfaction did not differ between the two administration modes. Nurses/radiographers rated the computerised assessment less time consuming (3.7 vs 18.5%), although the objective data did not reveal a difference in time demand. Physicians valued the psycho-oncological results as interesting and informative (46.7%). Patients and staff agreed that the distress screening did not lead to an increase in the discussion of psychosocial issues in clinician-patient encounters.


CONCLUSIONS
The implementation of a distress screening was feasible and highly accepted, regardless of the administration mode. Communication trainings should be offered in order to increase the discussion of psychosocial topics in clinician-patient encounters.
Dinkel
A
A
Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Division of Psychosocial Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Langerstr. 3, Munich 81675, Germany. a.dinkel@tum.de
Berg
P
P
Pirker
C
C
Geinitz
H
H
Sehlen
S
S
Emrich
M
M
Marten-Mittag
B
B
Henrich
G
G
Book
K
K
Herschbach
P
P
D003201:Computers; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011584:Psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000379:methods; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires