Article

Capturing the variability that exists among patients attending an
amputee clinic using standardized paper-based questionnaires is time-consuming
and may not be practical for routine clinical use.
Electronic questionnaires are
a potential solution; however, the benefits are dependent on the feasibility and
acceptance of this mode of data collection among patients. OBJECTIVE: To
determine the feasibility and patient preference/comfort in using a tablet-based
questionnaire for data collection in an outpatient amputee rehabilitation clinic
compared to a traditional paper-based questionnaire. STUDY DESIGN: Observational
study. METHODS: In all, 48 patients with major extremity amputations completed
both tablet and paper questionnaires related to their amputation and prosthetic
use. Both trials were timed; patients then completed a semi-structured
questionnaire about their experience. RESULTS: In all, 20.5% of patients needed
hands-on assistance completing the paper questionnaire compared to 20.8% for the
tablet. The majority of participants (52.1%) indicated a preference for the
tablet questionnaire; 64.6% of patients felt the tablet collected a more complete
and accurate representation of their status and needs. In all, 70.8% of
participants described themselves as comfortable using the tablet. CONCLUSION:
Despite comorbidities, patients with amputations demonstrated excellent
acceptance of the electronic tablet-based questionnaire. Tablet questionnaires
have significant potential advantages over paper questionnaires and should be
further explored. Clinical relevance A custom electronic questionnaire was found
to be beneficial for routine clinic use and was well received by patients in an
amputee rehabilitation clinic. Development of such questionnaires can provide an
efficient mechanism to collect meaningful data that can be used for individual
patient care and program quality improvement initiatives.

Langue : ANGLAIS