Does the Mode of PROM Administration Affect the Responses of Hospitalized Patients?
David J Weiss, Chun Wang, Jeffrey R Basford and 3 others
PMID 34606758WHAT IT FOUND
Hospitalized patients scored the same on mobility, daily activity, and cognition whether they answered questions to an interviewer or typed them into a tablet.
Tablet administration was about 20 seconds faster, but both methods took roughly 6 minutes.
Key findings
01There were no significant differences in the functional scores (applied cognition, daily activity, basic mobility) or measurement precision between the tablet and interview groups.
02Tablet administration was statistically faster by about 20 seconds, but this difference was considered clinically minimal as both methods averaged roughly 6 minutes.
03The study found significant main effects for sex and age on scores, with women showing greater impairment in daily activity and mobility, and older patients showing greater impairment across all domains.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study was conducted in two quaternary teaching hospitals in Minnesota, so results may not generalize to other settings or populations. The findings are specific to the item banks used in this version of the FAMCAT; different item structures might behave differently. The study focused on hospitalized patients, so applicability to outpatient or community settings is unknown.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that tablet administration is always superior or that interview data is invalid. The study shows the results are equivalent, so you can choose the method that best fits your patient's ability and your clinic's resources without worrying about skewing the scores.