The Computer-based Health Evaluation Software (CHES): a software for electronic patient-reported outcome monitoring

Abstract

BackgroundPatient-reported Outcomes (PROs) capturing e.g., quality of life, fatigue, depression, medication side-effects or disease symptoms, have become important outcome parameters in medical research and daily clinical practice. Electronic PRO data capture (ePRO) with software packages to administer questionnaires, storing data, and presenting results has facilitated PRO assessment in hospital settings. Compared to conventional paper-pencil versions of PRO instruments, ePRO is more economical with regard to staff resources and time, and allows immediate presentation of results to the medical staff.The objective of our project was to develop software (CHES – Computer-based Health Evaluation System) for ePRO in hospital settings and at home with a special focus on the presentation of individual patient’s results.MethodsFollowing the Extreme Programming development approach architecture was not fixed up-front, but was done in close, continuous collaboration with software end users (medical staff, researchers and patients) to meet their specific demands. Developed features include sophisticated, longitudinal charts linking patients’ PRO data to clinical characteristics and to PRO scores from reference populations, a web-interface for questionnaire administration, and a tool for convenient creating and editing of questionnaires.ResultsBy 2012 CHES has been implemented at various institutions in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK and about 5000 patients participated in ePRO (with around 15000 assessments in total). Data entry is done by the patients themselves via tablet PCs with a study nurse or an intern approaching patients and supervising questionnaire completion.DiscussionDuring the last decade several software packages for ePRO have emerged for different purposes. Whereas commercial products are available primarily for ePRO in clinical trials, academic projects have focused on data collection and presentation in daily clinical practice and on extending cancer registries with PRO data. CHES includes several features facilitating the use of PRO data for individualized medical decision making. With its web-interface it allows ePRO also when patients are home. Thus, it provides complete monitoring of patients‘physical and psychosocial symptom burden.

Research, Data, and Evidence-Based Treatment Use in State Behavioral Health Systems, 2001–2012

“…Regardless, the trend in reduced state support to EBTs and their implementation is troubling, given that resources beyond standard fee-for-service payments are typically necessary for providers to implement EBTs well (34-36). Moreover, the goal of reducing overall public expenditures “downstream” (e.g., corrections, emergency room care, hospitalization) (37) is theoretically linked to maintaining investment in EBTs that reduce the need for those expensive services.…”

Quality of life across chemotherapy lines in patients with advanced colorectal cancer: a prospective single-center observational study

“…To facilitate both data collection and analysis, QOL data capture was performed electronically using tablet PCs running Computer-based Health Evaluation System software [17]. A study nurse gave these tablet PCs to patients and asked them to complete the QLQ-C30.…”

Use of SMS and tablet computer improves the electronic collection of elective orthopaedic patient reported outcome measures

“…5,[22][23][24][25][26] This pilot study was limited by its single surgeon, single centre study design as it was not possible to randomise or blind either the subjects or the observers. Furthermore, the small numbers studied do not allow the effects of differences in mobile phone usage or internet access to be determined.…”