Open AccessPixel or Paper? Validation of a Mobile Technology for Collecting Patient-Reported Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Author(s) -
Oscar Massimiliano Epis,
Cinzia Casu,
Laura Belloli,
Emanuela Schito,
Davide Filippini,
Marina Muscarà,
Maria Giovanna Gentile,
Paula Carina Perez Cag,
Chiara Venerelli,
Massimo Sonnati,
Irene Schiavetti,
Eleonora Bruschi
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
jmir research protocols
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.378
H-Index - 9
ISSN - 1929-0748
DOI - 10.2196/resprot.5631
Subject(s) - rheumatoid arthritis , medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , physical therapy , matching (statistics) , disease management , alternative medicine , nursing , health management system , pathology
Background In the management of chronic disease, new models for telemonitoring of patients combined with the choice of electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) are being encouraged, with a clear improvement of both patients’ and parents’ quality of life. An Italian study demonstrated that ePRO were welcome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with excellent matching data. Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of agreement between electronic and paper-and-pencil questionnaire responses. Methods This is an observational prospective study. Patients were randomly assigned to first complete the questionnaire by paper and pencil and then by tablet or in the opposite order. The questionnaire consisted of 3 independent self-assessment visual rating scales (Visual Analog Scale, Global Health score, Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity) commonly used in different adult patients, including those with rheumatic diseases. Results A total of 185 consecutive RA patients were admitted to hospital and were enrolled and completed the questionnaire both on paper and on electronic versions. For all the evaluated items, the intrarater degree of agreement between 2 approaches was found to be excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient>0.75, P <.001). Conclusions An electronic questionnaire is uploaded in a dedicated Web-based tool that could implement a telemonitoring system aimed at improving the follow-up of RA patients. High intrarater reliability between paper and electronic methods of data collection encourage the use of a new digital app with consequent benefit for the overall health care system.